California man arrested for killing one police officer, wounding another

[March 12, 2018]    By Rich McKay

(Reuters) - A California man was arrested Saturday after a 15-hour standoff with a police SWAT team and charged with killing one police officer and wounding another, authorities said.

Pomona, Ca., Police Officer Gregg Casillas was shot and killed, and a second officer was shot in the face, authorities said on the Pomona police Twitter and Facebook pages.

"Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our brother, Officer Gregg Casillas," the department's Twitter page said.

Casillas and a second officer pursued the suspect in a vehicle after he allegedly crashed his car into an apartment complex in Pomona Friday night, The Los Angeles Times and other media reported.

The man, identified by police as Isaias De Jesus Valencia, 39, fled on foot and the two officers chased him, the paper reported. Valencia barricaded himself in an apartment and when the officers arrived, he shot through the door, killing Casillas and wounding the second officer, who has not been identified.

Valencia was arrested Saturday after police used tear gas and deployed trained dogs to force him to surrender, local media reported.

No information about charges were available early Sunday. The second police officer underwent surgery and was expected to recover, media reported. No police spokesperson was immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Mark Potter)

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