By Carolyn Sackariason
Daily Press Staff Writer

VENICE — A Santa Monica police officer shot and killed a carjacking suspect early Thursday, after the man opened fire on authorities and led them on a short pursuit through area streets.

The suspect, whose identity is not known, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 5 a.m. He is described as black and in his 20s, according to SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega. No officers were injured.

The incident began at 4:39 a.m. at the corner of 10th Street and Michigan Avenue, where the suspect stole a Dodge Shadow from an unidentified man. The victim, who was not injured, was driving behind a white van when it slowed and eventually stopped, Fabrega said. The victim told police he thought the driver of the van was having mechanical problems so he stopped to help. That’s when the suspect emerged from the van, pointed a shotgun at the victim and stole his car.

SMPD officers began searching surrounding areas, spotting the suspect 15 minutes later driving the stolen vehicle in Venice. While other SMPD officers were responding to the scene, two officers in one patrol car approached the suspect, who stopped and exited the vehicle armed with a shotgun. He fired at the officers before getting back in the car. A pursuit ensued, which ended in the 400 block of Santa Clara Avenue in Venice when the suspect smashed into the side of a building. He exited the car armed, and officers opened fire on the suspect. He then got back into the vehicle, Fabrega said.

After police ordered the man to surrender, the suspect pointed the shotgun in the direction of officers, who then opened fire again. The gun was dropped and no movement was seen from the suspect, Fabrega said. Paramedics arrived shortly after and pronounced the suspect dead. It’s unknown what part of the suspect’s body suffered gunshot wounds, or which officer fired the fatal bullet.

Officials from the Los Angeles County Shooting Team, an independent body that investigates officer-related shootings, were on scene in Venice analyzing evidence. SMPD detectives also are conducting an investigation, and were at the scenes in Venice and in Santa Monica where the carjacking took place.

A perimeter was set up from Pico Boulevard along 10th Street to Michigan Avenue, and on Michigan Avenue from Ninth to 11th streets. The van was left where the suspect abandoned it, in the middle of the intersection at 10th Street and Michigan Avenue. The van was reported stolen on Feb. 5 from a carjacking that occurred in Venice by a suspect described as a black man armed with a shotgun, Fabrega said.

Fabrega didn’t know the administrative status of the officers involved in the shooting, or when the last time a SMPD officer killed a suspect. The last incident in which a SMPD officer shot a suspect was in June of 2005 when police shot two suspected bank robbers after a three-mile chase that ended in a parking garage off of Lincoln Boulevard. The suspects, who robbed First Federal Bank on Main Street, survived and are being prosecuted.

The last time a SMPD officer was shot was last week, on Feb. 2, near the corner of 20th Street and Pico Boulevard. Officer Walter Ramirez, a four-year veteran of the department, was shot in the wrist and treated at a local hospital. Michael Espindola, 20, a resident of Santa Monica and known gang member, has been charged with several felonies related to the shooting, police said.