Man Shot by Police During Traffic Stop in San Pedro, Officers Say He Was Armed–Update

By
Raphael Richardson
-
0
1486
Update: The LAPD media relations department released a preliminary report about an officer involved shooting in San Pedro during a traffic stop in the early morning hours of Aug. 20. Russell Douthit, 20-year-old a resident of Los Angeles, was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.
According to the report, Harbor Patrol Division officers were in the area of West 18th Street and South Pacific Avenue, in San Pedro. They observed the vehicle parked in a handicap parking spot in front of a liquor store located in the 1800 block of S. Pacific Avenue. Upon further investigation, officers observed four occupants (two males, and two females) inside the vehicle.

Officers ordered the occupants exit the vehicle one at a time. The driver and a female occupant were detained against a nearby wall of the liquor store. Douthit allegedly remained seated in the rear passenger side of the vehicle until the officers gave the command for him to exit the vehicle. During a pat down search, a Glock-17 handgun was located in Douthit’s front waistband. The officer conducting the pat down removed the firearm and handed it to his partner.

The officers requested backup and the gun was secured in their police vehicle. The officers ordered Douthit to his knees. While waiting for backup, both officers re-deployed to the front passenger side of their police vehicle. The officers issued a verbal command for Douthit to move away from the passenger side of the car. Failing to comply, Douthit instead, allegedly, lunged into the rear passenger side of the vehicle and turned towards the officers, at which point the Officer-Involved Shooting occurred.

Douthit was struck in his left hand. He subsequently dropped a cellular phone and a wallet on the nearby sidewalk and was taken into custody.

He was transported by rescue ambulance to a local hospital for treatment for his gunshot wound and is listed in stable condition.

According to the booking information as of Aug. 24, Douthit has been charged with a misdemeanor with a bail of $10,000. California law makes it a crime to carry a concealed firearm on your person or in a vehicle. As a misdemeanor, the charge carries a penalty of up to 1 year in jail. If charged as a felony, the sentence is up to 3 years in jail. He is currently in LAPD’s Harbor Division jail. Douthit’s first court date, as of 2:20p.m. on Aug. 24, has yet to be set.

The complete investigation will be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Board of Police Commissioners, and the Office of the Inspector General to determine the thoroughness and accuracy of the investigation and whether the use of deadly force complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures.

Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office who responded to the scene will review the subsequent FID investigation, evidence collected, and witness statements to determine if the force used by the officer was reasonable.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
A man was shot by officers during a traffic stop in San Pedro, in the early morning hours of Aug. 20.
LAPD Public Information Officer, Matthew Cruz said, officers were on patrol on 18th Street and Pacific Avenue when they made an investigative stop on a parked car with four occupants at around 12 a.m. Cruz did not explain the probable cause for the stop.
As officers were searching the passengers, they discovered then confiscated a handgun from the waistband of one of the car’s occupants — a 20-year-old male (not the driver), then held him at gunpoint.
After his gun was confiscated, Cruz said the man lunged back into the car at which point officers shot him. The man sustained a wound to his hand. The suspect was taken to the hospital in unknown condition.
The three other occupants of the car were arrested immediately after the shooting. No officers or bystanders were injured. Pacific Avenue between 17th St and 19th St was shut down for multiple hours for the investigation.

Tell us what you think about this story.