A 47-year-old armed suspect who exchanged gunfire with Los Angeles Police Department officers at a Woodland Hills motel failed to come out and was found dead inside when a SWAT team made entry, authorities said Monday.
The shooting occurred about 10:15 p.m. Sunday at the Vantage Point Inn at Ventura Boulevard and Baza Avenue, LAPD Officer D. Orris told City News Service.
Officers responded to a call of an armed suspect and confronted the man, Orris said. The man, later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Benjamin Prince, allegedly fired at officers and they fired back.
A SWAT team was summoned when the gunman did not leave the motel, the officer said. When SWAT officers eventually made entry, they found the man dead. Prince’s weapon was recovered and will be booked as evidence.
An investigation was underway into the shooting by the officers and whether the suspect died in the shooting or shot himself, Orris said.
Ventura Boulevard was closed for the investigation between Don Pio Drive and Canoga Avenue.