NORTH HILLS – An investigation was continuing Friday into the fatal shooting of an allegedly armed suspect by an off-duty Beverly Hills police officer in the North Hills area of Los Angeles.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the off-duty officer witnessed an altercation between two men near the Roscoe Boulevard off-ramp of the San Diego (405) Freeway around 8:20 p.m. Thursday.
“West Valley Division patrol officers responded to a call of a shooting in the area of Roscoe Boulevard and the 405 freeway,” according to LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Media Relations Division.
“When the officers arrived to the area of the call, they were met by the person involved in the shooting who they identified as an off-duty sworn member of the Beverly Hills Police Department,” Cervantes said.
“Preliminary information was that the off-duty officer and a companion were driving eastbound on Roscoe Boulevard when they encountered two people fighting, one with a pipe and another with a handgun. The off-duty officer stopped and exited his vehicle and an OIS (officer involved shooting) occurred. The suspect that was armed with a gun was a struck by gunfire.
“The suspect with the pipe ran from the scene,” Cervantes said. “The off-duty officer remained at scene and is cooperating with officers. The suspect with gun was pronounced deceased at scene, and outstanding suspect with pipe initially ran away but was later apprehended. The suspects are only described as male adults at this time. Robbery-Homicide (Division) Detectives responded to the scene and are investigating this shooting.”
Information was not immediately available on the identity of the fatally wounded man. The name of the second suspect was not released. It was unclear what charges, if any, he could face.
Sgt. Lynnsey Diamond from the Beverly Hills Police Department told City News Service the LAPD will be handling the investigation of the shooting. The name of the BHPD officer was not released. No LAPD officers were involved in the shooting.
LAPD officers remained at the scene into the early hours of Friday morning and Roscoe Boulevard from the freeway to Chase Street was closed for several hours.
LAPD Capt. Brian Wendling told KCAL9 at the scene that while the investigation into Thursday night’s shooting was continuing, sometimes off-duty officers are compelled to get involved in life-threatening situations.
“If somebody’s life is in jeopardy, you have a duty to stop,” he said.
