Glendale Freeway shut down after shooting

Lots of LAPD action at the intersection of Drew and Estralla streets (near Fletcher Drive) where men in two cars exchanged semi-automatic gunfire.

Two suspects apparently wounded, another being sought. LAPD officers allegedly fired upon.

Story developing. Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton getting the details.

--Veronique de Turenne

Comments

[Kirsten Bock]

Lots of helicopters and police around here!
The helicopters are hanging almsot directly over my house.
Kirsten

[allfilm]

Helicopters have been circling the area here for over an hour, at least 5 of them. Obviously looking for something & also news copters. As of 1pm on 2/21.

[Jory]

The helicopters are just hovering - motionless - in the sky. I don't see anything being broadcast. What is going on?

[allfilm]

KNBC had their life news feed showing the action below.
http://www.knbc.com/videostream/10954229/detail.html

It will likely toggle between this and other stories (it's showing McCain's sad little press conference right now).

[Google]

They stoped to broadcasting...whats going on?

[the sky is falling]

Ok, calm down folks, we can put the insurgent reporting aside and rely on local news for further info. You're making it sound likes its the freaking Hollywood Shoot out of 1997!!

[khadisha]

Ribet academy is right by the shooting and now it is on lock down.

[steve]

Im glad they shot Avenues gangmember...I respect the LAPD I know is sad and mean to say, but I live there for many years al those Avenues gangmember are little punks..I sure hope the kill more or put then in jail..

[JJ]

I'm 1 block uphill overlooking the intersection of Drew and Estara. Still a massive contingent of Police; Plain clothes, Uniform, and SWAT. Very quiet, aside from the choppers.

Drew Street, in the words of a local police officer who actually lived on it as a kid, is arguably one of the worst gang entrenched streets in all of East LA. Over the years they have moved from one slum apt box to the next. The city slaps an Abatement on one building, they just take over another one a couple of doors down.

The living density is so high on those blocks, these punks get back into their Apartment Jungle, and literally disappear. Year after year I watch this happen here, the cops chase them in, and they never come out. The city might as well just grant them EMBASSY Status, and put a fence up around the whole thing.

I partially jest, but this block is no joke. An officer told me they estimate that more than 100 gang members could reside on that street and its surrounding streets. Deeply rooted history of involvement and protective community around the AVES and their families.

[JJ]

Fire trucks and emergency vehicles are packed onto Weldon Ave behind police tape at the top of Drew. Word from the street is that there is a possible hostage situation and the gunmen barricaded themselves in one of the buildings.

This is far from over they told me. No one is coming in or out of this neighborhood anytime soon.

I've never seen so many SWAT guys. At least 8 - 10 up at my end, and another 15 to 20 down at Estara. This doesn't seem like an over-reaction. So many fire trucks and SWAT; the city knows what a hotbed of Gang membership resides here. This is no drive by. They are geared up to put a beating on somebody if it gets out of hand.

[dont matter]

YOU ALL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT..WALK ONE DAY IN OUR SHOES AND I GAURENTEE YOU WILL STOP RUNNING YOUR MOUTHS.TO MOST OF US,BEING A GANGMEMBER WAS NEVER AN OPTION,BUT MORE LIKE PART OF GROWING UP.SINCE PRE-K,I KNEW WHAT I WAS DESTINED TO BE,AN ALL OUT GANGSTER WHO WOULD PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE DAY IN AND DAY OUT,TO STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE..YOU GUYS HAVE NO CLUE WHY ANY OF THESE SITUATIONS TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY,BUT YOU VOICE YOUR OPINON LIKE YOU KNOW SOMETHING.ONE THING IS CERTAIN,WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE FEEL IN OUR HEARTS IS RIGHT,NOT WHAT MIGHT BE RIGHT WRONG,OR ILLEGAL TO EVERYONE ELSE..UNTILL YOUR FATHER AND BOTH BROTHERS ARE KILLED,YOU WONT BE ABLE TO FEEL WHAT WE FEEL.

[KIAG]

dont matter: my condolences on your homies getting shot, can you tell us the motivation for these shootings?

[Paralegal]

At least if gang members are going to shoot each other, at least go to a shooting range and practice. So many innocent people get shot and that has nothing to do with anyone's father being lost or brother. I lost my father, step-father, and two cousins in the last 2 months, I'm not out trying to shoot somebody. Also, if you live in the ghetto and don't want to live that way, stop complaining and get up and do something about it that is constructive! I drive through some city streets and they look exactly like TJ. Yet, the beef is that they want to come here for a better life, yet they tear up our neighborhoods, make us scared in our own homes, have shot and killed an LAPD cousin of mine and shot another a loved one. The statistics even show that gangs are primarily made up of illegal people here in our country. I'm tired of working all day to have my taxes and resources sucked dry so we can clean up their messes! Why don't they put that much energy into doing school work! or learning a trade and being a real man, an honest hard working one! I don't care if you are a millionaire if your money is made dirty you aren't worth anything!
I hope the LAPD catches every single last one of them and gives them life!

[natalie]

that sad what there doing to the cops there just trying to keep us safe