Authorities Thursday identified a man who was killed by police after shooting a SWAT officer in the chest and face during a tense hours-long standoff at a residence about a mile north of USC.
The officer’s vest apparently saved his life as he was hospitalized in stable condition.
The officer told LAPD Chief Michel Moore during the chief’s visit to the hospital that he was “grateful to be alive.”
The shooting occurred Tuesday in the 1000 block of West 21st Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Jorge Cerda, 36, died at the scene, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported.
Police had responded to the location at about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday after receiving reports of a man firing a rifle into the air in the backyard of a residence, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.
Officers spoke with Cerda’s family members before evacuating them from the area and surrounding the home. Officers and the family members tried to persuade him to surrender, but he refused. Police then deployed tear gas into the home in an attempt to force him to give up, Moore said.
The suspect opened fire on police at about 4:45 p.m., striking a SWAT officer, who was able to walk to a nearby ambulance to be taken to a hospital, NBC4 reported.
The officer was shot once in the chest — though the bullet was stopped by his vest — and once in the face, according to Moore. Police returned fire and the suspect was fatally shot, Moore said.