It all started when deputies tried to pull over an SUV for speeding just before midnight Saturday near the intersection of the 605 Freeway and Norwalk Boulevard in nearby unincorporated Whittier.
The vehicle did not stop and a pursuit ensued. Police say the suspects eventually ditched their car and made a run for it and shot at Whittier police in the process. That's when L.A. County SWAT was called and a perimeter was established to search for the suspects.
Helicopters and K-9 units aided in the search, and seven hours later, the two were tracked down in a garage of a home on the 7000 block of Norwalk Boulevard. SWAT officials initially thought a male suspect was holding a woman hostage, but it turned out, both were suspects and the female was only pretending to be a hostage.
Investigators say a weapon was recovered from the female suspect, who is from Colorado and has been in jail before, according to Capt. James Thornton with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
At one point during the "hostage" standoff with SWAT, the male suspect released the female suspect to authorities. Then, he fired his weapon at deputies, who fired back. The suspect was struck and transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The two suspects' identities were not immediately released.
No deputies or bystanders were hit.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Whittier Police Department were working on the case. Whittier police also patrols the Santa Fe Springs area.
The District Attorney's office will determine if the shooting was justified.
