Police believe a man involved in an ongoing standoff with officers at a Los Angeles supermarket shot his grandmother and girlfriend before firing at officers during a pursuit, then crashing outside the supermarket and running inside the store.
LAPD tweeted a man had barricaded himself inside the store and that SWAT resources were on scene.
Officer Mike Lopez, a police spokesperson, said the man had fled from the scene after the Saturday afternoon shooting in South Los Angeles. Lopez said officers tried to pull the man over and were led on a pursuit. Lopez says the suspect shot multiple rounds at officers during the chase but no officers were struck.
UPDATE: We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TraderJoes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TraderJoes</a> in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Silverlake?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Silverlake</a>. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area.
—@LAPDHQ
Lopez said the man crashed outside of a Trader Joe’s supermarket in Silver Lake and then ran into the store. He said it isn’t clear if employees are still inside the store.
Don Kohles, 91, was among those who escaped from the standoff. He said police fired at the male driver of the vehicle that crashed near the supermarket and shattered the store’s glass doors. Kohles said he and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran inside. After about 30 minutes, he said police came and rushed them outside.
Some witnesses took to social media. Devin Field, a writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live, tweeted he was walking inside when a car crashed into the entrance and a man “got out shooting.”
Gunman walked in shooting. He went into the back and took hostages. Employees snuck out through back emergency exits. Employee says blood was all over the floor, unclear from where
—@thatdevinfield
An Associated Press employee who lives in the area reported seeing a crashed car into a utility pole outside the store.
One tweet showed people attempting to exit the Trader Joe’s out a window. Other views from TV helicopters showed people leaving through the front door with their hands up.