Reports of shots fired at pro-Trump caravan in LA suburb, suspect on the run after standoff with police

31 Aug, 2020 00:04 / Updated 4 years ago

Police have responded to reports of fire being opened at a pro-Trump parade of cars in Woodland Hills, California, after a tire was slashed by a projectile, probably a bullet. The alleged shooter is at large.

The incident unfolded about 11:30 a.m. local time in the 20600 block of Ventura Boulevard, as the torrent of cars with Trump supporters was streaming past Woodland Hills, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said that a woman, who was not part of the pro-Trump caravan, but was driving alongside the rally, reported that her tire was damaged after she heard sounds resembling that of gunfire.

There were reports of a person brandishing a firearm from a balcony near the scene of the incident, police said, according to local media.

A witness told police that they saw a gunman in the apartment block at Ventura Boulevard. Police confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that they had obtained a photo showing the suspect with a rifle on the balcony. 

Also on rt.com 1 person shot dead in Portland, Oregon near site of showdown between pro-Trump & BLM activists

Police sent a SWAT unit to locate the suspect, which led to a protracted standoff that ended about 5 p.m. when the officers breached the apartment where three people, the alleged shooter and two others, were believed to have been holed up.

However, police said that that they found no one inside, with the suspect is believed to have fled the scene and is currently on the run.

A police helicopter was spotted hovering over the scene. 

No injuries have resulted from the incident, with the only known damage so far being a pierced tire.

A day before the incident in Los Angeles, the arrival of a caravan of Trump supporters in Portland, Oregon resulted in scuffles as Black Lives Matter activists confronted them. Amid the tensions, a member of the pro-Trump group Patriot Prayer was shot dead. The circumstances of the homicide are still being investigated.

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