A SWAT standoff in Pico Rivera left an innocent bystander dead as authorities tried to get a barricaded man to surrender. Gadi Schwartz reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, 2014.
An innocent bystander and an alleged gunman were killed Friday during a SWAT standoff in Pico Rivera, officials said.
Officials attempted to detain the alleged gunman, identified by officials as 24-year-old Cedric Ramirez, at about 5:30 p.m. Friday in the 9000 block of Reichling Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Ramirez was wanted on two outstanding felony warrants for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent.
When deputies arrived, Ramirez fled on foot, according to a Sheriff's Department statement. He broke into the home of two nearby residents in the 9000 block of Rosehedge Drive and a gun battle ensued between officials and the alleged gunman. Neighbors described hearing gunshots.
"I went behind a car," a resident said. "I don't know who was firing. It sounded like different guns, it wasn't one gun."
A 54-year-old man who lived in the home was shot and killed, but deputies could not confirm to NBC4 whether the victim was struck by a bullet from the man or deputies.
Authorities said Ramirez barricaded himself inside the home and held a 60-year-old woman hostage.
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"It's like if my grandma was right there in the house, in the hostage situation," a resident said. "We all feel for it."
When deputies with the department's Special Enforcement Bureau attempted to enter the house, another gunfight occurred and Ramirez was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
The woman being held hostage was rescued safely and was unharmed. Officials said a gun belonging to Ramirez was recovered at the scene.
Family members of the suspect tell NBC4 that the suspect had three daughters and that he had just gotten out of prison.
