Los Angeles – On July 27, 2003, at about 6:40 PM, Hollywood Patrol Officer Alma Andrade, 29 years of age and seven years with the LAPD, and her partner responded to a radio call in the 900 block of N. Serrano Avenue regarding a male adult exposing himself to children. A further update indicated the suspect was in apartment 120 and was armed with a knife.

The officers knocked on the door of the apartment. The suspect, subsequently identified as Yousuf Mollah, 32 years of age, opened the door and stepped into the apartment building hallway holding a large kitchen knife. Officer Andrade drew her service pistol and ordered Mollah to drop the knife. Mollah failed to comply with Andrade’s commands and pointed the knife tip at the officers and lunged at them. Officer Andrade, fearing for her life and the life of her partner, fired one bullet from her service pistol, striking Mollah in the abdomen. Mollah fell to the floor, crawled into the apartment and slammed the door shut.

The LAPD SWAT team was called to try and extract the armed and barricaded suspect from the apartment. SWAT negotiators repeatedly advised Mollah to come out of the apartment and surrender. When Mollah failed to respond, SWAT officers fired tear gas into the apartment and breached the front door. The SWAT officers found Mollah unconscious and not breathing. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced Mollah dead at the scene. Mollah had sustained a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. A 13-inch knife was found on the floor next to Mollah. No officers were injured as a result of this incident.

This investigation is ongoing and is being handled by Critical Incident Investigation Division and Robbery Homicide Division.

This advisory was prepared by Lieutenant John Pasquariello, Acting Officer in Charge, Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.