Man did not point gun at officers, LAPD says in new account of shooting

A man shot and wounded this week by Los Angeles police in Westlake had not pointed a gun at officers, despite an initial report by the LAPD that he had, the department said in a press release Saturday afternoon.

Jason Bangle, 39, was shot Tuesday about 10 p.m. in the 600 block of South Coronado Street, police said. The incident began when officers were flagged down by pedestrians who said they were threatened by two men armed with a handgun, according to the press release.

Officers located two men nearby, but the pair did not comply with orders to stop, according to police.

Bangle, according to the release, crouched behind a vehicle with his hands “in his waistband” and had begun to advance on one of the officers when he was shot, according to police.

Authorities did not identify the officer or officers who fired, or specify the number of shots fired. No officers were injured. Bangle was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, according to the release, which did not say exactly where it was found. The other man, Craig Curry, 37, was arrested without incident.

“Initial reports at the scene stated that the suspect pointed a handgun at the officers,” the press release said. “As the investigation progressed, it was determined that the suspect did not point a handgun at the officers.”

The department did not explain how detectives determined that the initial report was wrong.

An LAPD spokesman declined to answer additional questions about the incident, saying he had no more information beyond the press release.

The shooting is being investigated by the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division and Los Angeles County district attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division.

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