Dennis RomeroUpdated after the jump with alleged shooter's ID, fact that he was a parolee-at-large, and response from the police union. First posted at 6:37 p.m. Tuesday.
A person was fatally shot by cops when the suspect in a reportedly stolen car opened fire on police with an AK-47-type rifle, according to police.
It was yet another confrontation between cops and armed suspects in the Los Angeles Department's Rampart Division area — the third such confrontation in recent weeks by our count. The clash unfolded about 4:45 p.m. near Union Avenue and Temple Street in Filipinotown, police said.
Credit: Google Maps
Officers in an unmarked car were following the vehicle when it stopped and someone got out and opened fire, police said: It doesn't appear that any cops were wounded in the shootout.
City Council President Eric Garcetti tweeted that another suspect was wounded in the confrontation.
Earlier in the month police came under community criticism in the Westlake district after an officer fatally shot a man who was threatening them with a knife.
Over the weekend police in the area subdued a woman with a knife by shooting her with using “less-than-lethal” bean bag rounds.
Update: The union that represents city cops, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, identified the deceased as 28-year-old Jack Schlesinger, a parolee at-large who “assaulted [officers] with a high-powered assault rifle.”
The LAPPL, which has been on a tear against state parole reform that has seen some violent offenders get out of prison before the ends of their sentences, was incensed that another early release put officers' lives in danger. Stated union president Paul M. Weber:
“Yet again, the failure of our parole system has nearly cost LAPD officers their life. While the case illustrates the dangers LAPD officers face every day, it also is a deadly reminder that the administration of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) needs to be immediately overhauled. Schlesinger was only one of 13,000 dangerous felons that the CDCR was supposed be supervising but who had not reported to his parole officers and therefore was classified as 'at-large.' free to roam our streets.”
-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.
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