Armed and Barricaded Suspect Refused to Surrender; Shot by SWAT Member NR12222kr

UPDATE:   The officer involved in the below officer-involved shooting has been identified as
Police Officer III Richard Alba.

Los Angeles:  An armed and dangerous suspect held police at bay for about an hour before being shot by a SWAT officer.

On May 11, 2012, around 1:25 a.m., Pacific Patrol Division officers responded to a Screaming Woman call in the 1500 block of Penmar Avenue.  As the officers were walking up to the apartment they saw the suspect on the second story balcony area armed with a handgun.  The officers believed the suspect, 33-year-old Iya Mangam, fired in their direction.  They immediately retreated to seek cover from the direct threat and requested help over their hand-held radio.  Responding officers established a perimeter and attempted to communicate with Mangam, who refused surrender.  After failing to comply with officers’ requests, SWAT responded to take over the situation.

At around 2:15 a.m., a Police Officer from LAPD’s Metropolitan Division SWAT Unit, saw Mangam through a window and he was still armed with a handgun.  The Officer believed that Mangam was an imminent threat to approaching SWAT Officers and fired his Police Rifle to stop the threat that resulted in an officer-involved shooting (OIS).

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded and transported Mangam to a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the chin area of his face.  He was listed in critical but stable condition.
 
Force Investigation Division Detectives responded and are investigating the O.I.S. and the Criminal Apprehension Team is handling the Assault with a Deadly Weapon Against the Officers.

The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use-of-force policy which states that an officer’s use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the FID at 213-486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.