Woodland Hills pursuit suspect shot by police was armed with BB gun

A Los Angeles Police Department investigation has determined that the pursuit suspect shot by officers in Woodland Hills on Monday was armed with a BB gun that resembled a pistol. 

Wednesday's department update said that Claudia Corugedo, 42, was treated at a hospital for her wounds and was booked for felony evading.

The entire ordeal lasted nearly three hours, causing neighbors in the area where the pursuit ended to take shelter in their homes as a standoff with law enforcement ensued.

It all began around 7:15 a.m., as police responded to a North Hollywood shooting investigation involving a white van with multiple bullet holes in its windshield. Police learned that the woman in the van, Corugedo, had a felony warrant and they attempted to detain her.

Police said she pulled out what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol and held it to her throat. Corugedo then led officers on a pursuit around 7:45 a.m., which ended at a Woodland Hills cul-de-sac. After refusing orders to surrender during the neighborhood standoff, police said the suspect was armed with a large machete while continuing to point what appeared to be a pistol at her throat.

The LAPD investigative report said "Corugedo began walking toward the front door of a residence while still holding the pistol and machete, and an Officer-Involved Shooting occurred. Corugedo was struck by gunfire and collapsed near the entryway of the residence."

Neighbor Katrina Escalante said she heard the commotion in their Woodland Hills neighborhood around 8 a.m. "We were sleeping and then helicopters were really loud and started going around the neighborhood, and saying like "please stay inside your house, lock your doors, there is an armed suspect in your neighborhood, be safe, do not leave your house,'" she said. 

At one point, aerial footage caught Corugedo standing on the top of her van, and later lying on the outside entryway area of a home.

SWAT officers ultimately took Corugedo into custody around 10:30 a.m., where she was transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

The police investigation determined that Corugedo was holding a BB gun designed to resemble a semiautomatic pistol. A metal machete was also recovered at the scene.