Suspect identified after being shot, killed by CHP officers at end of chase in Winnetka neighborhood

WINNETKA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- California Highway Patrol officers shot and killed a 21-year-old suspect early Wednesday morning at the end of a high-speed pursuit in a Winnetka neighborhood, authorities said.

The CHP began pursuing a man driving a vehicle around 2:30 a.m. The chase made its way into a cul-de-sac in the 7200 block of Sunnybrae Avenue, just south of Wyandotte Street.

Surveillance video showed the vehicles involved and captured the sound of multiple gunshots. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office as Seijah Rivera.

Authorities confirmed that the suspect was fatally shot but declined to discuss what prompted the chase and the shooting.

"We're dumbfounded, we don't know," the deceased man's grandmother, who declined to give her name, said in an interview at the scene. "He was driving his father's work truck. He borrowed it to go visit his cousin.

"They have a vast amount of family, Samoan-Tongan, in the valley," she said. "They were all together. He was on his way home. His app showed on my daughter's phone that he was home. Right after that, they heard the shots."

According to the grandmother, authorities told her that the suspect was armed with a gun when he was shot.

"So, where did they see the gun at and how did that transpire? We don't know," she said, adding that it was difficult for her to believe that her grandson brandished a weapon. She said he had never been known to be a troublemaker or be violent.

CHP Officer Sergio Garcia said the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division will be assisting with the shooting investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.