LOS ANGELES – Two Los Angeles Police Department officers injured during a gun battle with a parolee in Lincoln Heights were released from a hospital, while an investigation continued Friday into the police operation that led to the gunfire and left the suspect dead.
Three LAPD officers were shot and wounded by the gunman during a search for a parolee at large in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters confirmed in a tweet that two officers were set to be discharged from LAC+USC Medical Center on Thursday. A third officer injured in the shootout is expected to remain in the hospital to receive additional medical treatment.
“We thank the L.A. City Fire Department and hospital staff who have provided the best possible treatment to the injured officers,” according to a headquarters’ statement.
One of the police officers was shot in the arm, another was shot in the leg and the third was shot in the torso, but body armor probably deflected the round, according to authorities.
The deadly confrontation unfolded around 4 p.m. Wednesday when officers from the Hollenbeck Community Police Station arrived at the 3800 block of North Broadway, between Lincoln Park Avenue and Mission Road, regarding a parolee at large.
“During the subsequent investigation, officers came across the individual who refused to comply to the commands, and a request for canine officers was requested from Metropolitan Division,” LAPD Assistant Chief Al Labrada said at a news conference Wednesday night outside LAC+USC Medical Center, where the officers were hospitalized.
With the suspect still refusing to comply, officers eventually “utilized gas to get compliance from the individual,” Labrada said.
Following that deployment of gas, the suspect stepped into an alleyway and opened fire on police sometime after 6 p.m., Labrada said.
Three officers, all from canine units, were struck with the gunfire, and fellow officers pulled them from the line of fire as police shot back at the suspect, authorities said.
The officers were taken to the hospital while a standoff ensued with the suspect, who was holed up inside a lower-level room off the alley. LAPD SWAT officers deployed three robots into the alley to get a look at the suspect, who was ultimately determined to be “down,” and later pronounced dead.
The man was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as Jonathan Magana, 32, of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear if Magana was fatally shot by police or died of a self-inflicted wound.
Authorities at the hospital eventually indicated that the officers were all in stable condition with injuries initially described as serious, although all are expected to recover.
Mayor Karen Bass went to the hospital Wednesday night and spoke with two of the injured officers.
“I deeply appreciate their service, and let them know that their city stands with them,” Bass said at the news conference outside the hospital. “And I very much look forward to their recovery. My heart goes out to the officers’ families who tonight got the phone call, or the knock on the door, that they dread every day that their loved one go on duty.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the suspect — who was not immediately identified by police — had a lengthy criminal record. In January, the suspect was charged with battery on a police officer and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in connection with an incident late last year, The Times reported, citing court records and law enforcement sources.
The shooting of the officers prompted a massive police presence in the Lincoln Heights area, with at least three SWAT Bearcat vehicles at the scene. Residents in the area were evacuated during the standoff. Video from the scene showed officers escorting a resident with a walker from a home near the shooting scene.
Other residents were warned to stay inside their homes with their doors locked.
A citywide tactical alert extending officers’ shifts was issued following the shooting, but it was canceled when the suspect was determined to be dead.
The officers who were shot are part of the Metropolitan Division, Labrada said.
“The shooting of three @lapdhq officers in Lincoln Heights is a reminder of the risks and sacrifices our police face every day,” Councilman Bob Blumenfield tweeted.
