Victim’s family demands state investigation of LAPD after pursuit-turned-carjacking
Cops: Victim had drugs, warrants
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who was shot in the back and abducted in his car after a brief chase in Los Angeles had warrants outstanding for narcotics crimes, and the victim had drugs in his car, the family said outside a hospital.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to the family’s demands for an investigation into the shooting Friday.
Police released a witness account, saying the shooting happened at about 12:15 a.m. when officers tried to pull a car over for a traffic violation on the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles.
A man inside the vehicle opened fire on the officers, who returned fire, authorities said. The man’s car sped away, and investigators determined the man had warrants for his arrest for narcotics violations, police said.
The man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the back, officials said.
Authorities said the shooting is under investigation. Police said they are not certain if the shooting was connected to the man’s arrest for narcotics charges.
The LAPD is the first law enforcement agency to be identified as a defendant in a case alleging use of excessive force by police officers.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the shooting “troubling.”
“It’s my hope that the video released today will help shed light on these critical issues,” Garcetti said.
At least three women and three men were injured in the incident, which started with pursuit of a vehicle that ran a stop sign at the intersection of Westwood and Beverly boulevards about 2:30 a.m. Friday.
The pursuit ended shortly after the intersection as the vehicle came to rest in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store, where a man with an assault-style weapon shot out the passenger window, police said. The wounded man, who has been identified as Jose Rodriguez, was later found with a weapon in his apartment, authorities said.
The LAPD announced that they had arrested Rodriguez on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and driving under the influence of