Police shot an armed suspect on the 210 Freeway in Sylmar on Tuesday afternoon after he fled onto the motorway on foot and attempted to carjack a vehicle, authorities said.
At around 1 p.m., officers working in narcotics enforcement were searching in the 14000 block of Bledsoe Street for a man, about 25 years old, who was wanted on a felony arrest warrant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department
They located the suspect, who then ran onto the westbound 210 Freeway while armed with a handgun and attempted to carjack a vehicle, police said.
The suspect ignored officers’ demands that he drop his weapon, leading police to open fire. The suspect was hit and fell to the ground next to his gun but continued to refuse to obey officers’ orders, police said.
Officers then deployed a 40-millimeter “less-lethal” launcher, which fires hard foam projectiles, after which police said the suspect complied with commands. He was transported to a local hospital, treated and cleared for booking.
The incident prompted the closure of the westbound 210 lanes at Polk Street, with traffic diverted to Maclay Street, according to the California Highway Patrol. The eastbound transition road from State Route 118 to the westbound 210 is also closed.
The closure remained in place Tuesday evening, causing a significant backlog of traffic on the 210 Freeway, State Route 118 and surrounding streets as rush hour intensified.
Aside from the suspect, no one was injured. His weapon was recovered from the freeway and will be submitted for forensic analysis, police said.
Investigators remained at the scene at 6 p.m., at which time police warned the public in a statement on X to brace for several more hours of lane closures on the westbound 210 Freeway. The CHP advised motorists to use Foothill Boulevard as an alternate route or to take the westbound California 118 to northbound Interstate 5.