Daylong police standoff in Bell Gardens leaves one suspect dead
An 11-hour police standoff left one person dead in Bell Gardens, officials said Friday.
Police have not identified the suspect, but KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported that it involved a 17-year-old named Andrew Cortez of Bell Gardens.
Officials with the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed that Cortez died in Bell Gardens on Thursday evening. The cause of death was pending an autopsy.
According to a statement issued by the Bell Gardens Police Department, officers came across two people about 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The interaction led to the two fleeing from officers. As they were being pursued, one of them turned and shot at the officers, police said. Officers returned fire.
After one suspect was located, the second suspect, the alleged shooter, barricaded himself inside a house. Police said he had a weapon and was threatening to kill himself.
Via phone and loudspeakers, officers asked the suspect to surrender. About 7:15 p.m. a Special Operations Team fired tear gas into the location trying to draw him out.
“Officers attempted numerous other tactics to try and convince the suspect to exit the location but were unsuccessful,” authorities said in the statement.
About 8:45 p.m. they entered the location and found the suspect unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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