Jefferson Park shooting suspect arrested after lengthy SWAT standoff
The suspect in a deadly shooting in Jefferson Park on Saturday afternoon was arrested following a lengthy standoff involving SWAT, police said.
Los Angeles Police Department officers said that they were called to the area, a home in the 2300 block of W. 23rd Street, near Cimarron Street and Gramercy Place, after receiving reports of shots fired.
The person who called 911 told police that a man had been shot by an unknown gunman and was lying in the front yard of a home on the street.
Upon arrival, officers found the 89-year-old victim, who was declared dead at the scene. He was identified on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Robert Knight.
Police say that as they approached the victim, the suspect, who was barricaded inside of a home, began to fire at them. They returned fire, but it's unclear if the suspect was struck by gunfire, police said.
A SWAT team was called to the area, which was blocked off from the public for several hours as the standoff continued.
"After a prolonged stand-off with Smith failing to surrender, SWAT element members entered the residence and located him in a second-floor bedroom where he was taken into custody without further incident," said a news release from LAPD after the incident concluded.
Police said that the suspect was arrested shortly after 9 p.m. without further incident. On Monday, the suspect was identified as 40-year-old Andrew Smith. He was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after his arrest for multiple self-inflicted stab wounds and lacerations, police said.
No other injuries were reported.
While searching the home, police said they found multiple weapons, including a loaded 9mm assault-style rifle, a semi-automatic pistol, three high-capacity magazines, two fixed-blade knives and a large folding knife. Each was recovered and booked as evidence, they said.
SkyCal flew over the scene while it was still ongoing on Saturday afternoon, where multiple BearCat vehicles could be seen both in front of and behind the home. Some officers, including K9 units, stood behind the armored vehicles while a robot was used to look through the windows of the property.
