A man who allegedly wielded a revolver at police died in a hail of gunfire at a Hollywood apartment, leaving neighbors rattled Friday as they recalled a scene that was reminiscent of a war zone.
Officers went to 7245 Hillside Ave. around 11 p.m. Thursday in response to a call about a dispute between two roommates, one of whom may have been armed, police said.
When officers arrived at the fourth-floor apartment, they met with the suspect, but the encounter quickly deteriorated.
“In cases like this, we pretty much keep the peace and allow the individual being escorted by P.D. to go ahead and retrieve some of his property,” LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado said. “That’s when the encounter happened. That’s when the suspect armed himself with a firearm and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if the suspect was struck by police gunfire at that point, or if he fired the revolver at officers.
The man then went out onto the apartment’s balcony. Cell phone video shot by residents captured the sound of police ordering him to drop his weapon, followed by a barrage of gunfire.
“They were saying, `Sir, put down the gun. Sir, put down the gun.’ And then the officer goes, `Sir, what’s your name?’ Then everybody started shooting, and it went insane,” witness Jeff Boggs told ABC7.
The suspect wound up slumped over a wall of the balcony. Police said it was unclear how many officers opened fire, but it may have been as many as a dozen. Witnesses estimated hearing around 30 shots fired.
Video from the scene showed bullet holes in the walls and shattered glass doors.
The suspect’s revolver was recovered at the scene, police said. No officers were injured.
The suspect, who was reported to be in his mid-20s, was not immediately identified.
—City News Service