Suspect killed during shootout with police on 10 Freeway identified
The man killed during a shootout with police on the I-10 Freeway in City Terrace on Friday has been identified.
Jose Gonzales Morales, 30, a Los Angeles resident, was fatally shot while running from police after a pursuit at around 10 a.m. Friday morning. He was identified by L.A. County Coroner's Office officials.
Monterey Park Police Department officers engaged Morales in pursuit after connecting his vehicle to a robbery that was reported earlier in the day, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Lieutenant Michael Modica. He failed to pull over when they attempted a traffic stop, prompting the pursuit that continued from Atlantic Boulevard to the westbound lanes of the 10 Freeway.
After Morales's vehicle became disabled, he exited on foot, firing shots as he fled from pursuing officers, according to a report from LASD. They also noted that he is believed to have fired shots during the vehicle pursuit as well.
He jumped the center divider, running into eastbound lanes before he was fatally shot near the Eastern Avenue overpass. Officers found a semi-automatic handgun on the ground next to his body.
The incident caused an hours-long investigation, which caused a full closure of all lanes of I-10 for several hours on Friday, creating a traffic nightmare for commuters.
Authorities still have not yet released information on the alleged robbery that Morales was being chased for in the first place.
Anyone with further information about the robbery or shooting was asked to contact the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500
