Man Shot by Police in Standoff

Police shot and wounded a man who barricaded himself inside a trailer in a leafy residential neighborhood Wednesday after he twice opened fire on officers with a high-powered rifle, police said.

Only the gunman was hurt in the two-hour standoff that began when a SWAT team, acting on a tip that the man was heavily armed, surrounded a house in the 17700 block of Martha Street at 4:20 p.m. The man, whom police declined to identify, was wanted on a felony parole violation, Lt. Horace Frank of the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Two women and another man inside the house quickly surrendered to the Special Weapons and Tactics team, but the man police were after fled through a rear door into a backyard trailer.

“He initially got into the trailer and fired, but the officers didn’t respond,” Frank said. “At some point, he came out and fired again,” prompting the officers to return fire.

The man suffered at least one gunshot wound in the upper torso, Frank said. He was expected to survive.

Paramedics transported the wounded man to a local hospital at 6:45 p.m., said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Even after the capture, police blocked off nearby streets for hours as a bomb squad searched the residence for possible explosives. The gunman had bragged to police that he had bombs inside the home, Frank said, but none were found.

Dozens of residents, unable to get to their homes because of the police blockades, milled around restlessly behind the yellow tape securing the scene.

“We’re getting mixed stories,” said Maria Shannon, 38, a neighbor stranded on the sidewalk two blocks from her home.