Deputies shoot carjacking suspect through rear window in chaotic confrontation in Pico-Union
Sheriff’s deputies shot a fleeing carjacking suspect after a chase Wednesday afternoon in Pico-Union, according to officials and video of the scene.
Just before 2:30 p.m., deputies from the East L.A. station started to pursue a suspect in a gray Toyota Camry, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. During the pursuit, the driver allegedly hit deputies’ cruisers with his car several times.
The chase ended about 20 minutes after it began, at Vermont Avenue and Venice Boulevard, where video showed the Toyota crashing into several cars and a light pole.
The front tires began smoking as the driver apparently tried to accelerate backward into the cruiser that was boxing the suspect in from behind. The driver, still seeming to try to accelerate, leaned out the window and extended an open hand.
Seconds later, at 2:51 p.m., four deputies opened fire, shooting into the rear window of the Toyota. Several rounds pierced all the way through the car, leaving five holes in the windshield along with what appeared to be blood splatter.
Joseph Brandon Gerdvil was arrested on suspicion of homicide in the deaths of his parents, Ronald Walter Gerdvil, 77, and Antoinette Gerdvil, 79.
After the gunfire ended, deputies using a bulletproof shield approached the vehicle and pulled someone from the passenger side of the vehicle.
Authorities said the suspect was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
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