Gunman Flees Into Wal-Mart After Shootout

A shootout between gang members and plainclothes detectives at a Paramount street corner on Wednesday led to a four-hour evacuation of a Wal-Mart where one of the gunmen had fled, authorities said.

The trouble started at 3:40 p.m. when two detectives trying to serve a warrant in a separate case happened on an exchange of gunfire between gang members in a vehicle and others on foot in the 14500 block of Lakewood Boulevard, said Sheriff’s Deputy Bruce Thomas.

When the detectives returned fire, the vehicle sped away, and one of the men on foot was arrested, Thomas said. The other man, armed with a handgun, ran into the Wal-Mart, which was immediately evacuated, Thomas said.

As 40 special weapons team officers, three police dogs, detectives, deputies and helicopters swarmed the store, “There was some chaos,” Thomas said.

“Essentially, we had several incidents going on at once--all of them requiring investigations,” he said. “We had an exchange of gunfire between suspects in a vehicle and others on foot. That led to a police-involved shooting, which turned into an evacuation and a barricaded suspect situation.”

Amid the turmoil, a woman driving a white minivan drove into the side of the store. She wasn’t seriously injured.

Relatives of Wal-Mart employees gathered at police security boundaries seeking information. Leading his 4- and 5-year-old sons by the hands, Joaquin Gonzalez, 28, said, “My wife works in that store. I hope she’s all right. That’s all I want to know.”

Special weapons team members and dogs searched the store for both the suspect and any customers “who may have been hiding in a back room or storage area,” Thomas said.

Of particular concern was the availability of guns and ammunition in the sporting goods department.

The searchers found no one.

“A meticulous and intricate search of the enormous store was called off after about four hours. The suspect wasn’t there,” Deputy Cruz Solis said.