LAPD uses tear gas on suspected gunman barricaded in Willowbrook
Police fired tear gas Wednesday morning into a Willowbrook home where a man who allegedly shot two police officers is believed to be holed up.
Officers have not communicated with the suspected gunman, who police believe has been barricaded in a home in the 2200 block of East 117th Street since about 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“They’ve tried to make contact with him telephonically ... “ Gonzalez told KTLA. “They have equipment such as a bear cat, smoke that can be utilized to try to encourage the suspect to give up.”
The gunman was in the attic above the kitchen while police ordered people to exit the home, Gonzalez told The Times on Wednesday. It was unclear how many people were told to leave or who they were.
When an LAPD gang officer peered into the attic, he was shot. The officer was wounded in the cheek and neck and underwent surgery overnight, officials said.
The officer was in stable condition in an intensive-care unit, Gonzalez said. A county probation officer also was wounded.
The officers were part of a unit conducting a parole-probation search of the home in an area patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Police were leaving the property after searching for a woman there when they smelled marijuana and decided to investigate, KTLA-TV reported.
Officers spoke with people inside the home and learned some were violating parole by being around the drug, according to KTLA.
The shooting began soon after, with at least five officers exchanging gunfire with the man as rounds ripped through the ceiling and floor, police said.
“He has shown no regard for human life by shooting at our officers,” LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said of the gunman.
Late Tuesday, officers evacuated residents from the area as police with high-powered rifles maintained positions outside the home.
Neighbors have been waiting on buses for the last 11 hours or so, Gonzalez said. They probably will be able to return to their homes by early afternoon, he said.
The gun battle followed an ambush early Tuesday during which an attacker shot at two LAPD undercover detectives outside the Wilshire station in Mid-City.
That shooting sparked a daylong manhunt in which officers searched unsuccessfully for the attacker.
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