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Police fatally shoot driver after someone opened fire on them from his car

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A man was fatally shot by Los Angeles police Wednesday afternoon after he or someone riding in his car shot at officers who were tailing them, authorities said.

About 4 p.m., Van Nuys gang officers in a marked patrol car began following a sedan they believed was stolen. Soon after, one or two people in the car opened fire at the officers from inside the moving vehicle, said LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery.

The officers, who were not injured, called for backup and continued to follow the car until it crashed into a light pole at Sherman Way and Kester Avenue, Montgomery said.

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When the driver got out of the vehicle, police shot him. Paramedics treated the man at the scene before he was taken to a hospital, where he died. He was not identified.

Two handguns were recovered at the scene. Two women inside the car were taken into custody, though details on their involvement in the incident were unclear.

Authorities were investigating whether one or both weapons were fired, and who in the car opened fire.

Investigators with LAPD’s Force Investigation Division, as well as the Office of the Inspector General and the Los Angeles district attorney’s office, responded to the scene, as is customary with police shootings.

“They’re all conducting door-to-door knocks, investigating this thing to see how much evidence we can come up with,” Montgomery said.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

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Twitter: @AleneTchek

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