By Stephen Witt
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported four incidents of deputies intentionally firing a firearm at humans, including three fatal incidents in the first quarter of 2025, according to the County’s Office of Inspector General’s quarterly report on the law enforcement agency.
The first incident occurred on Jan. 21, when deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call at about 1:29 am on 77th Place in the City of Los Angeles. The caller reported that her boyfriend was sending her threatening messages and knocking on her window.
When deputies arrived and contacted the victim, they saw the suspect, a 45-year-old Hispanic man, about two blocks north of the location. As they approached the suspect, he opened fire on the deputies, striking their patrol vehicle multiple times. The deputies returned fire, and the suspect fled north about half a block with the deputies in foot pursuit, when a second deputy-involved shooting took place.
Following the second exchange, the suspect continued fleeing another half block and then entered a white Toyota Sienna minivan, at which point a third deputy-involved shooting occurred. Deputies gave repeated commands to the suspect to exit the vehicle, but received no response. An armored vehicle was deployed, and additional commands were issued, but the suspect remained unresponsive.
Deputies then approached the minivan, opened the door, and removed the suspect. Deputies, along with Los Angeles Fire Department personnel staged nearby, provided medical aid, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. A firearm was recovered. A total of 39 rounds were fired by deputy personnel. No deputies were injured.
The second incident occurred on Jan. 30, when at about 12:15 am, a deputy was seated in his patrol vehicle parked in a row of unoccupied patrol vehicles outside of the Paramount substation when he heard a loud banging noise. As he drove forward to investigate the noise, the deputy saw a 34-year-old Hispanic man holding a machete and repeatedly striking an unoccupied parked patrol car.
The deputy exited his vehicle and ordered the suspect to stop and drop the machete, but the suspect pointed the machete in his direction and began walking towards him. The deputy again ordered the suspect to drop the machete and get on the ground, but the suspect continued walking towards him.
When the suspect got to within 15-20 feet of the deputy still holding the machete, the deputy fired five rounds, hitting the suspect multiple times.
Once assisting deputies arrived, they approached the suspect and rendered first aid. Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the location, and the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. A machete, approximately 24 inches in length, was recovered at the scene.
The final incident occurred on February 26, when Temple Station deputies responded to a call reporting an arson in progress on Scott Street in the city of Rosemead at about 6 pm. The call included information that the suspect, a 56-year-old Asian woman, ignited an unknown item and threw it towards a neighbor.
The patrol deputies and deputies on the Mental Evaluation Team (MET), who also responded, set up a containment and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact the suspect by cell phone and the public announcement system to convince the suspect to exit her residence and surrender.
The Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) was contacted but declined to respond to the scene given the circumstances of the call and the information communicated to SEB regarding the suspect.
A Crisis Negotiation Team was not called to the scene, but MET deputies are cross-trained in crisis negotiations. While the deputies on scene were attempting to contact the suspect, Temple Station detectives prepared a search warrant and received judicial authorization to execute the warrant at the suspect’s home.
On February 27, shortly before 12:30 am, the Sheriff’s Department requested that the suspect open the door for the deputies to execute the warrant. The suspect remained barricaded inside the home and did not respond to that request. The warrant team’s tactical plan assigned at least two deputies to use any necessary non-lethal force, and one deputy was assigned to use lethal force in the event such force became necessary to ensure the safety of the deputies or the public. The warrant team forced entry into the home.
Upon entering the room occupied by the suspect, the deputies saw that the suspect had a meat cleaver in one hand and a spray bottle in the other. One of the deputies ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, but she did not drop the cleaver.
The deputy assigned to use the less-lethal 40 mm foam baton rounds fired several rounds at the suspect. The rounds had minimal effect, even though the rounds hit her on the right thigh and the center mass of her chest. After being hit by the 40 mm rounds, the suspect moved the cleaver to her right hand and raised it above her shoulder, with the cleaver aimed in the direction of the deputies. At the time, the suspect was less than 5 feet away from the deputies.
The deputy assigned to use lethal force fired three rounds at the suspect from his department-issued firearm, striking her in the upper torso. Deputies immediately rendered aid, followed by medical assistance from Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel, who were standing by to assist. The suspect was transported to the hospital, where medical staff pronounced her dead. A meat cleaver was recovered from the scene.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and the State Department of Justice (DOJ) continue to review and investigate the shootings at the time of this post.
