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View Winners → Crime Feb 17, 2022
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Authorities on Thursday identified a man who was killed in a shootout with Azusa police that left an officer wounded.
The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. Wednesday in the 1000 block of West Gladstone Street, where officers responded to a call regarding a stolen vehicle.
Mathew Cook, 32, died at the scene, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported. His city of residence was not known.
The wounded officer was struck in the lower body and was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Deputy Miguel Meza of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities said officers who went to the Gladstone Street address saw a man and a woman near the allegedly stolen vehicle. The man fled on foot and the officers chased him.
As the officers attempted to detain the man, a struggle ensued and at some point the suspect produced a handgun and fired at the officers, at which time one officer returned gunfire, Meza said.
It was unclear what charges, if any, the woman, who was detained, would face. The sheriff’s department was assisting Azusa police with the investigation.
Anyone with information about the shootout was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
