Chase Ends as Man Draws Gun, Is Killed by Police

A fast and violent police chase punctuated by an exchange of gunfire ended Thursday night with the shooting death of a man at a busy Pico Rivera intersection, authorities said.

The chase began when Whittier police responded to a 911 call from the residents of a home in the 10300 block of Jersey Avenue in Santa Fe Springs, Whittier Police Lt. Rick Gilliland said.

“He was brandishing a gun and he apparently went into the house and confronted people, some of whom he may have known,” Gilliland said. “Officers were at the scene and more were arriving when the guy left the house and got into a car. He still had the gun.”

The man sped away with a woman, Gilliland said. It was not clear whether she was a willing companion or a hostage.

Halfway through what became a two-mile chase, “he started firing at the police officers close behind him,” Gilliland said.

The man lost control of the vehicle at Slauson and Serapis avenues, authorities said, and crashed into a semitrailer. A police car also crashed into a building.

The man “came out of his car with the gun,” Gilliland said. “He pointed it and the officers engaged him in a gunfight.”

The man was shot about 9:35 p.m. and died at the scene.

The woman “wasn’t cooperating initially,” Gilliland said, “but we eventually got her out of the car and detained her.”