LAPD video shows Boyle Heights chase end in officer shooting
Marco Flores survived after police say a June 9 pursuit ended with gunfire and an officer saved by a Kevlar vest.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A Los Angeles police pursuit that began beside a truck in Boyle Heights ended with a suspect on the ground after a burst of gunfire, according to LAPD video and statements from Chief Jim McDonnell.
The June 9 incident unfolded on a sunny afternoon in the east Los Angeles neighborhood, where officers pulled up next to a truck before the driver sped away, according to footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Video from police cameras shows officers following the truck onto a freeway and then through multiple neighborhoods. The chase ended when the vehicle crashed into a hill, according to the LAPD footage.
A man then got out of the truck and ran down a block, the video shows. Two officers left their vehicle and chased him on foot while other police cars continued behind him.
Foot chase turns into gunfire
During the foot pursuit, the man appeared to take an object that looked like a gun from his waistband, according to the video. Moments later, several shots can be heard before a larger volley of police gunfire follows.
The man then falls to the ground, apparently wounded by officers, according to the footage. The LAPD identified him as Marco Flores.
McDonnell said Flores allegedly shot an officer during the confrontation. The chief said the officer survived because he was protected by a Kevlar vest.
Flores was critically injured after the shooting but survived, according to the LAPD account cited in the report.
Charges filed after pursuit
TMZ reported that Flores was charged with four counts of attempted murder of a police officer and seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. The report said he also faces several other charges.
The allegations against Flores have not been proven in court. No response from Flores to the charges was included in the information reported.
The released footage captures several stages of the incident: the initial encounter with the truck, the freeway and neighborhood pursuit, the crash into the hillside, the foot chase and the final exchange of gunfire.
The LAPD video does not turn the chaotic scene into a clean sequence. It shows officers moving quickly, patrol vehicles converging and audio of gunshots erupting after the suspect appears to reach into his waistband.
Police shootings in Los Angeles are typically reviewed after the fact, though no details about any internal review were included in the reported account of this case.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.