Inglewood gunman taken into custody after hours-long standoff

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The suspect in an eight-hour standoff in Inglewood sits in the back of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol car. Two females were held hostage after the gunman fired at police officers. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Inglewood police Officer Joey Zeller evacuates children from a preschool in Inglewood after an officer was shot in a hostage situation. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers deploy along 108th Street in Inglewood where a gunman shot one officer before barricading himself inside a house. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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SWAT officers move into position among residences overlooking 108th Street in Inglewood, where a gunman who had barricaded himself inside a house shot an Inglewood police officer. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A police officer takes position along 108th Street in Inglewood where a gunman shot an officer in a hostage standoff. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Police snipers take up positions on a nearby roof in Inglewood where a gunman shot an officer. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By Ruben Vives and Alicia Banks

Nov. 27, 2013 9:28 PM PT

A 45-year-old man who fired on Inglewood police and held two females hostage for hours has been taken into custody, an official with the district attorney’s office said Wednesday night.

The suspect had been talking to crisis negotiators and came out of the home about 9 p.m. in the 10700 block of 5th Avenue after police used a loudspeaker to tell him to surrender, according the official.

The two females held hostage were giving statements to police, the official said.

The tense standoff began about 12:30 p.m. after the gunman tried to drag the daughter, believed to be about 14 years old, by her hair outside the home, according to police.

As the officers arrived, the gunman opened fire from inside the home, said Lt. Oscar Mejia of the Inglewood Police Department.

Officers shot back as multiple rounds could be heard, according to witnesses.

A male officer was shot once in the chest, but he was “saved by his bulletproof vest,” Mejia told reporters.

The wounded officer was pulled out of the line of fire by other officers who swarmed the scene, according to Mejia.

He said a female officer was injured when she apparently fell while trying to help the wounded officer.

Both of the injured officers have been with the department for at least 10 years, Mejia said.

The two officers were taken to hospitals. The woman was later released, and the officer who was shot was being transferred Wednesday evening to a second hospital for additional treatment.

Neighbors said they were startled Wednesday afternoon when they hear screaming followed by multiple gunshots.

Walter Maye, 70, walked outside his home and saw officers converging on a residence three doors away.

“I went inside and that’s when I heard the gunshots,” Maye said. “I thought: God what is going on?” “There were quite a few shots; I’d say 15,” he added

Maye said that at one point, he saw neighbors evacuating, so he decided to do the same. Standing at 5th Avenue and 104th street Wednesday night, he watched other residents being escorted out of the neighborhood by officers. “It’s a shame,” he said.

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