LOS ANGELES, Calif.–A standoff at a home in Baldwin Hills ended this morning with police fatally shooting a 28-year-old man and freeing his two children, whom he was holding hostage, authorities said.
The standoff in the 7100 block of Don Ricardo Drive began around 6:50 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Robin Brown of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Station.
Officers sent to the residence on a domestic violence call met a woman outside who reported she had been battered by her ex-boyfriend, police said.
Officer Cleon Joseph of the LAPD’s Media Relations office said that when officers tried to enter the home, the man said he was armed, so they withdrew and called in a SWAT team. It was unclear what type of weapon the man allegedly was armed with, police said.
After negotiations with the man failed, police entered the house and an officer-involved shooting occurred, Joseph said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was withheld, pending notification of his relatives.
The children–said in broadcast reports to be a boy and girl, ages 3 and 6 respectively–were unharmed, Joseph said. He did not know what time the officer-involved shooting occurred.
No officers were injured, Joseph said.
