Valinda standoff with LASD ends after more than 2 full days
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A multi-day standoff between a shooting suspect and sheriff's deputies came to an end Sunday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The barricade situation began on Friday, March 10 around 2 p.m. That's when LASD deputies responded to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 16900 block of Wing Lane in Valinda. When deputies arrived, the suspect - identified as 47-year-old Brandon Ursa - fired multiple shots at deputies.
"When deputies arrived there was an immediate deputy-involved shooting," a sheriff's official at the scene said Friday. "We know that the suspect has been actively shooting rounds at deputy personnel."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Valinda barricade standoff nearing 48 hours
On Sunday, Sheriff Robert Luna shed more light on the situation as the standoff pushed into its third day of action. Luna said Ursa fired what deputies believed was an assault rifle at deputies, and that Ursa had "fired dozens of rounds at our deputies while they've been stationed in and around that residence."
Luna said Ursa had "an extensive criminal history, somebody that is no stranger to law enforcement contact."
The LASD reported that the standoff had ended before 5 p.m. Sunday, though did not give any indication of how the situation came to an end.
Images from SkyFOX showed several large holes in the roof of the home the suspect had barricaded himself in. Sheriff's deputies said the holes were made in the roof so that officials could use cameras to try and pinpoint the suspect in the house. According to the department the suspect was still texting negotiators as late as 2 a.m. Sunday, "about his ability to want to put harm on us and our personnel."
Officials said Sunday night that they found the suspect dead in the home from a gunshot wound. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis tweeted Sunday that the suspect had killed himself.
Contrary to Sunday's statement, however, a LA County coroner investigator said gunshot wounds were not seen on Ursa's body; however, there were "severe lacerations on the suspect's wrist that appeared consistent with self-inflicted cuts commonly caused to commit suicide."
Ursa's official cause of death will be determined once an autopsy is performed by a doctor with the LA County coroner's office.
As many as 10 area families had to be evacuated while deputies dealt with the barricaded suspect.
When asked why the standoff took so long to end, LASD Commander John Dominico said that "the extreme threat that that suspect was putting on the community, we had to slow down our operation. We had to make sure that everything was done to perfection and with the utmost safety, and that process it takes time."