Suspect arrested in parole officer’s shooting in Lake View Terrace
A parolee suspected of shooting and seriously wounding a parole officer was arrested Wednesday evening after an hours-long manhunt that forced authorities to shut down a section of the busy 210 Freeway and lock down two schools in Lake View Terrace.
The shooting, which occurred about 1:30 p.m., forced the authorities to close the 210 Freeway between the 118 Freeway and Sunland Boulevard, creating a traffic nightmare for thousands of commuters traversing the east-west corridor in the San Fernando Valley.
The parole officer was shot once in the face. The shooting sparked a massive dragnet involving the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Multiple law enforcement officials who spoke to The Times identified the suspected shooter as Steven Hoff, 45. Hoff has convictions for weapons possession and terrorist threats, according to court records and law enforcement officials.
Hoff was released from state prison in January 2011 and placed on parole, according to the law enforcement officials, who asked not to be named because the shooting investigation was ongoing. They said Hoff’s parole was suspended in July, which typically means he broke contact with his parole officer.
The suspected shooter was being sought by agents for alleged parole violations, LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman said.
The agents were near the front door of a residence in Lake View Terrace when someone fired at them, striking one of them in the face. The parole officer, whose name was not released, was listed in serious condition Wednesday evening with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
The suspect was apprehended about 6 p.m. and taken from the scene in an ambulance to a hospital. He was shot at least twice and bitten in the leg by a police dog.
As authorities tightened their dragnet, they locked down Brainard Elementary School and Delphi Academy of Los Angeles, both on Brainard Avenue.
Sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hernandez said 166 students and staff members were at Delphi, but only eight staff members were at Brainard because students were on vacation. The children were being reunited with their parents Wednesday evening.
Times staff writer Rick Rojas contributed to this report.
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