Man shot, killed after chase in Downey

Downey police officers shot and killed a man who they said pointed two handguns at them after a chase Friday afternoon.

The name of the man had not been released by late Friday. The officers, who also were not identified, were not injured.

The chase took place about 3:30 p.m. and ended in the 9400 block of Pico Vista Road, a quiet residential street along the San Gabriel River, near the 5 Freeway.

Downey police referred all inquiries to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which handles officer-involved shootings for the city.

Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Lincoln said the officers responded to a call that “a man was seen putting guns into a Toyota silver pickup truck.”

They arrived in the neighborhood and saw the man in a truck matching the description.

A short chase ensued, which ended when the truck collided with one of the police cars and landed on the lawn of a two-story house on Pico Vista.

No one was home at the time, Lincoln said.

The man got out of the truck with a gun in each hand, pointing them at the officers, Lincoln said.

“The officers feel he’s getting ready to shoot them, and the two officers shoot him,” Lincoln said.

It was unclear late Friday whether the man had fired on the officers.

A neighbor, however, seemed to contradict the police version of events.

Ricky Alcantar, 17, said he watched the incident unfold from the window of his garage not far from the house where the truck ended up.

Alcantar said he heard sirens, then saw the pickup slide onto the grass of the house, almost hitting the structure.

He said the man immediately left the cab of the truck with his hands up.

Alcantar said he couldn’t see the man’s right hand, but said his left hand appeared to be empty.

“He backed away from the cops with hands up,” Alcantar said. “He took three steps and got blasted.”

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