Several shots
were fired when the heavily armed officers stormed the barbecue
restaurant in Downey, southeast of Los Angeles, to end the
two-hour siege, said commander Mike Parker of the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators will determine whether the gunman, who was
pronounced dead at the scene, was killed by a police bullet or
his own weapon, he said.
Police said the unidentified suspect had stolen two cars, one of
them at gunpoint. He led officers on a winding chase through Los
Angeles, narrowly missing a cyclist and crashing into another
car before running into the restaurant firing his gun.
"He had absolutely no concern for the safety of the public,"
Parker told reporters.
Dozens of people were able to escape from the restaurant, which
was in the middle of a busy dinner rush, authorities said. Local
media said about a half-dozen people had been taken hostage.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|