[symple_googlemap title=”Bellflower standoff victim identified” location=”17600 block of Downey Avenue, Paramount, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”16″]
A carjacking suspect who was found dead inside a Bellflower home following a six-hour standoff with authorities was identified Saturday.
He was 31-year-old Hector Loaiza of Paramount, according to the county coroner’s office.
Deputies went to the 17600 block of Downey Avenue at 3:11 a.m. Thursday after receiving a report of a break-in.
“When deputies arrived, the informant, a woman who lives at the location and was the sole resident, told deputies that she locked herself in her bedroom and called 911 when an unknown man broke into her home,” a sheriff’s statement said.
“She said that she was able to escape uninjured through one of her bedroom windows,” the statement said.
Investigators learned that Loaiza had been involved in a traffic crash before he broke into the home.
“He was driving a silver Toyota Yaris Sedan when he crashed at Downey Avenue just north of Jefferson Street, in Bellflower,” the statement said.
“An unsuspecting good Samaritan, driving a gold (Chrysler) PT Cruiser, stopped to render aid when he was assaulted by the suspect. During the struggle, the suspect overpowered the victim and drove off in his vehicle,” the statement said.
Loaiza then drove about one mile before becoming involved in another traffic crash in the 17600 block of Downey Avenue.
“He exited the vehicle, ran to the informant/victim’s house, and gained entry by breaking a window,” the statement said.
The good Samaritan was treated at a hospital and was in fair condition.
A SWAT team was summoned, and surrounding homes were evacuated, said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. A crisis negotiation team also was sent to the scene.
The standoff continued for more than six hours before the SWAT team entered and found Loaiza dead inside the residence. His cause of death was unclear.
However, no shots were fired by deputies, the sheriff’s department reported.
—City News Service