Officer-Involved Shooting in Newton Area NR14167bm

May 2, 2014

UPDATE:  The officer involved in the below incident has been identified as Police Officer III Ruben Banuelos.

Los Angeles:  On Thursday, April 24, 2014, around 4:30 pm, Newton Patrol Division officers responded to an “Assault with a Deadly Weapon “radio call in the 6600 block of South Main Street.

When the officers arrived they were confronted by a Hispanic male armed with a sword. The officers attempted to take the suspect into custody by using a taser but it was ineffective. The suspect then ran towards the officers still armed with the sword and an officer-involved-shooting occurred.

Los Angeles City Fire Department paramedics responded to the location and transported the suspect to a local hospital and his condition is unknown.

No officers were injured and a sword was recovered at scene.  

Force Investigation Division responded to the incident and will conduct a thorough investigation of the officer-involved-shooting.

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 Departments use-of-force policy, which states that an officer’s use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable.  

Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the officer-involved-shooting.  

Anyone with information is asked to call Force Investigation Division 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.