WHITTIER — Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed an armed man and took his girlfriend into custody early Sunday after they shot at police and deputies and holed up inside a garage in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
The dead man was initially described as a man in his 30s, Lt. David Coleman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
His name was not released pending positive identification and notification of his family, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben said.
Sheriff’s officials declined to release the name of the female suspect.
She was expected to face charges of attempted murder of peace officers, as well as murder for the death of her boyfriend, Coleman said. Under California law, a person can be charged with murder whenever a death results from the commission of a felony.
The incident began shortly after midnight Whittier police were shot at while trying to stop a car that had been reported stolen, according to Capt. Michael Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
Whittier police tried to pull over a stolen SUV at Telegraph Road and Pioneer Boulevard, initiating a pursuit, Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean said.
Officers quickly canceled the pursuit, as the fleeing car was creating a dangerous situation by speeding with no headlights on and with a flat tire, Dean said.
But a deputy from the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station spotted the SUV — a black Jeep — driving “recklessly” in the area of Washington and Norwalk boulevards, Coleman said.
The deputy then saw the SUV crash through a fence at the Choisser Street cul-de-sac and ended up in the middle of Norwalk Boulevard, Coleman said.
The man and woman then exited the SUV, both armed with handguns, as Whittier police officers were arriving at the scene from the north and south,officials said. The woman had been driving the SUV.
“The female suspect fired her handgun in a northerly direction. The male suspect fired in a southerly direction,” Coleman said.
No officers were hurt, and no Whittier police officers were aware they were being fired upon at the time, Dean said.
The man and woman continued to flee on foot, and officials set up a search perimeter in the area, officials said.
As the search continued through the night, deputies heard a male voice coming from inside a residential garage, which had been converted into living space, in the 7600 block of Norwalk Boulevard, Coleman said.
The garage was freestanding in the backyard of a home, and was not believed to be tied to the suspects.
“He yelled at the deputies not to enter and indicated he had a hostage,” he said.
Nearby homes were evacuated and a sheriff’s SWAT team was summoned to the scene, and the woman came out of the garage and surrendered about 4:30 a.m., authorities said. But the man remained holed up inside.
About two hours later, “Deputies heard a gunshot from within,” Coleman said.
Within minutes, “The suspect exited the garage door and produced a handgun,” he said. Deputies shot the man, striking him at least twice.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, officials said. A handgun was found near his body.
It was not clear Sunday if any additional weapons were recovered.
The SUV crashed by the suspects prior to the stand-off and shooting had been reported stolen out of Lakewood, Colorado, Coleman said. It had been fitted with license plates taken in Wyoming, and California license plates were also found inside the vehicle.
“It seems they’ve been working their way west from Colorado,” Coleman said.
Like all fatal deputy-involved shooting in Los Angeles County, the shooting was being investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and sheriff’s Internal Affairs Bureau, as well as the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.