El Monte police shot an armed man Sunday after he allegedly set fire to a house and pointed a rifle at officers, authorities said.
The standoff started around 6:50 p.m. Sunday when officers from the El Monte Police Department responded to the 5100 block of Elrovia Avenue, not far from Peck and Lower Azusa roads, following a call about a house on fire, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Monday. Police received information that a man had lit a house on fire and was armed with a rifle.
Upon arrival, officers located the man standing in the driveway armed with a rifle, the LASD reported. The home was engulfed in flames, and the front lawn was smoldering.
During the standoff, El Monte police attempted to de-escalate the situation and negotiate to have the man surrender the rifle. They also used “less-lethal weapons” to try to subdue the suspect, authorities said.
The man refused to comply and pointed the rifle directly at the officers, at which point an officer shot at the suspect, according to the Sheriff’s Department. He was struck by gunfire and fell to the ground.
Officers and paramedics from the LA County Fire Department provided medical aid. The suspect was then transported to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, authorities said.
The man’s identity and age were not immediately available.
Firefighters extinguished the fire inside the home, and no people were located in the fire-damaged residence, the LASD reported. A rifle and two handguns were found on the driveway.
Investigators from the sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail responded to assist the LASD Homicide Bureau’s investigation, which is ongoing. No officers or other individuals were injured during the incident.
Members of the public with additional information about the standoff and officer-involved shooting were urged to contact LASD investigators at 323-890-5500. For anonymous tips, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477, use the website lacrimestoppers.org or use the mobile app available from Google Play or the Apple App Store.