A person of interest handcuffed by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) after a teenager was allegedly shot and stabbed managed to successfully escape custody by fleeing the scene, according to multiple reports.
The victim, roughly 13 years old, was shot and stabbed in downtown Los Angeles at about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to ABC7 News. A crowd allegedly surrounded the officers as they performed CPR on the victim. The officers also handcuffed a bystander for questioning, identifying him as a person of interest, the outlet reported.
At one point, a teenager in the crowd violently swung a skateboard at one of the policemen, according to ABC7.
Amid ensuing chaos, the handcuffed person of interest allegedly ran off and has yet to be found at the time of writing.
The victim was brought to a local hospital in critical condition, according to ABC7. The LAPD detained the teen who allegedly used his skateboard to hit an officer, the outlet continued. (RELATED: Police Found, Questioned Shooter Who Killed Robber In Restaurant
The LAPD initially had seven different suspects who may have been involved in the reported shooting/stabbing, an unnamed officer told the the LA Times in an article published Wednesday night. The incident allegedly occurred near a Metro train system entrance. LAPD officers requested certain trains be shut down in an attempt to find the person of interest who fled the scene, LAPD Officer Melissa Podany told the outlet.
Breaking News Search For Stabbing Suspect In DTLA @abc7chriscristi Reports pic.twitter.com/9ta9dCvg41
— PupScanLA (@PupscanLA) January 12, 2023
While the trains were not shut down, one Metro entrance was closed for half an hour, the LA Times reported.
The investigation is ongoing.