Parole Agent Shot In LA; Manhunt Closes Freeway

Published January 5, 2012 12:54AM (EST)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police used helicopters and armored SWAT vehicles to search for a parolee suspected of shooting his parole officer in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The parole agent was shot in the face and was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Officer Karen Rayner said. He is in serious but stable condition.

The shooting occurred after a parole task force showed up to search the 45-year-old parolee's living quarters for an unspecified violation of a condition of his parole, Lt. Andy Nieman said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The suspected shooter is a violent criminal with a long rap-sheet and a "two-striker," Nieman said, referring to the state's three-strikes law that imposes minimum mandatory sentences for those convicted of a third felony.

Officers believe the suspect is holed up in a house but they're maintaining a very broad perimeter as a precaution, Nieman said.

Foothill Boulevard, other surface streets in the area and part of Interstate 210 were closed for the search. A private school, Delphi Academy, was placed on lockdown.

The suspect may have been wounded by return fire, police said.


By Salon Staff

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