Two of the three LAPD officers shot during a brief shootout with a parolee fugitive this week were released from the hospital Thursday as more details emerged about the shooter, who died in the confrontation, police said.
The three officers, who were assigned to the department’s Metropolitan Division, were expected to recover from their injuries, police said. One officer was shot in the arm, another in the leg and a third in the torso, but his bulletproof vest likely deflected the projectile, authorities said.
The shooting prompted a citywide tactical alert Wednesday night and the Lincoln Heights neighborhood near downtown was inundated with officers, including the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team and three armored vehicles.
The incident began when officers were called to the 3800 block of Broadway around 3:50 p.m. to search for a person on parole, LAPD Asst said. Chief Al Labrada. Officers located the man, who they said he refused to obey police, and a K-9 unit was requested.
The officers used tear gas, but the man, who was identified Thursday as 32-year-old Jonathan Magana, refused to comply and at some point opened fire on the officers, LaBrada said. The police returned fire and Magaña was killed during the confrontation.
Magana’s body was later found inside a building by an LAPD robot equipped with cameras, police said. The Los Angeles County coroner has yet to determine if he died by his own hand or if he was killed by officers.
Magana had an extensive criminal record and was charged in January with assault on a police officer and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in connection with an incident late last year, according to court records and police sources. He posted bail and was released after the incident in October, but failed to appear for his arraignment hearing last month.
In February 2020, Magaña was convicted of two felony robbery charges related to incidents in 2019, records show. He was sentenced to four years in prison for the first charge and one year in county jail for the second charge. In 2014, he was convicted of selling methamphetamine, according to court records. His conviction record spans his entire adult life.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference at the hospital, where she once worked, and praised the officers for their bravery.
“I deeply appreciate your service and let you know that your city stands with you,” Bass said after speaking with officials. “I really want them to recover. My heart goes out to the families of the officers who tonight received the phone call, or knocked on the door, who fear every day that their loved ones are on duty.”
