Officers serving warrants in a gang investigation in the Azusa area Thursday exchanged gunfire with a suspect and arrested him, but no one was hurt, authorities said.
A Pomona police SWAT team was assisting Azusa police at a residence near the 5500 block of Lark Ellen Avenue at about 4 a.m. when the officers came under fire “from inside the house, while our officers were outside,” a Pomona Police Department statement said.
“Our officers then returned fire,” the statement said.
The gunman was taken into custody and no one was injured, said Capt. John Roberts of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man’s name was not immediately released.
A number of people came out of the residence and were taken into custody for questioning.
“The city of Azusa had a recent uptick in gang shootings, including at least one homicide in April of this year,” Pomona police said. “This morning, Azusa PD had eight simultaneous gang search warrants to serve … and asked Pomona PD to assist them by serving one. Pomona PD regularly provides assistance to our neighboring cities, as they do the same for us.”
According to Azusa Police Lt. Chris Grant, the multi-agency operation included personnel from the Azusa, Pomona, Covina and Baldwin Park police departments, along with members of the sheriff’s department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
A number of people were arrested for various violations, Grant said.