Police fatally shot the suspect from a violent shooting rampage in Los Angeles that killed two and injured one on Tuesday.
Officers neutralized the shooter, only identified as a man in his late 40s or early 50s, after an hours-long chase and subsequent standoff. He was pronounced dead on a freeway in Orange County, California, after a shootout with the police that was assisted by Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
The car became disabled after spike strips were used and stopped on the WB 91 Freeway at the Raymond overpass in Fullerton. SWAT responded to assist due to the barricaded suspect. They initiated negotiations but this was not successful since suspect refused to submit to arrest. pic.twitter.com/I8FUJrxFZ0
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) April 27, 2021
The perpetrator fired a weapon at the officers after having his car disabled by spike strips, according to LAPD. “SWAT responded to assist due to the barricaded suspect. They initiated negotiations but this was not successful since suspect refused to submit to arrest,” the LAPD statement reads. (RELATED: Deputy In Virginia Shoots Unarmed Man After Allegedly Mistaking Phone For Gun)
The spree started around 12:55 am Tuesday when the suspect pulled alongside his first victim’s car near the University of Southern California and fired multiple rounds at him, the Associated Press reported. The victim reportedly sustained minor injuries and was hospitalized.
The suspect shot and killed 25-year-old Alexis Carbajal in his vehicle at a Starbucks drive-thru approximately ten minutes later. The victim’s wife was also in the vehicle, but she did not suffer any damage, according to KCAL-TV.
A third fatal drive-by shooting occurred minutes later. The victim, a 41-year-old Uber driver Mingzhu Zhu, was on his way to pick up a passenger, KCAL-TV reported.
“The officers quickly discovered that it was the same shooting suspect description, a male in a white Cherokee, that information was immediately put out to all patrol units to stop the violence,” LAPD Lt. Raul Jovel said at a Tuesday briefing, according to KCAL-TV. “The officers realized the suspect was shooting community members, almost at random.”