A suspect in a shooting in Compton was taken into custody Thursday after he allegedly opened fire at responding deputies and barricaded himself in his apartment, which caught fire while he was inside.
Deputies were sent to the 100 block of Acacia Avenue about 7:30 a.m. on an assault with a deadly weapon call, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The sheriff’s department reported that a person who had been wounded was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
Meanwhile, deputies responding to the scene came under fire, but they were not wounded, the sheriff’s department reported.
Containment of the area was established, residents in the apartment and nearby buildings were evacuated, and a SWAT team from the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau was sent to the scene.
At about 8:15 a.m., a fire was reported in the building. Deputy Miguel Meza told reporters the fire was in the suspect’s apartment, and the suspect apparently was responsible for igniting it.
The wounded person — either a friend or a roommate of the suspect — told deputies a firearm was accidentally discharged, Meza said.
“The victim said there was some sort of accidental discharge inside the location, which is when the deputies responded to the gunshot victim call,” Meza told Fox11.
The circumstances of the shooting remained under investigation.
The suspect surrendered about 8:45 a.m., the sheriff’s department reported.
“After a couple hours and many verbal attempts by LASD deputies and SEB Tactical Team, the incident has concluded peacefully,” a sheriff’s department statement said.
The suspect’s name was not immediately available.
About an hour after the man surrendered, the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau tweeted: “LASD SEB SWAT operation for an armed, barricaded assault with a deadly weapon suspect in Compton has concluded. Suspect in custody. Fire Department on scene after putting out a fire started by suspect. … Neighborhood safe.”
