A male suspect is in stable condition today after Long Beach and Los Angeles police officers tracked him to a home in the 1500 block of Pacific Avenue under suspicion of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and several children on Saturday, when he was confronted and shot by an LAPD officer yesterday afternoon. Police say the man – 29-year old Angel Samos – was located in Long Beach after the kidnapping occurred in Los Angeles, and that both units worked together to find him.
An Amber Alert was issued over the weekend while police searched for the man and missing persons. No one else was injured during the confrontation.
The LAPD this morning confirmed more details of the horrifying ordeal, saying that Samos sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint before kidnapping her, her 11-year old daughter and 6-year old niece at around 2:30pm on Saturday. The four drove to a gas station where Samos attempted to steal a 24-year old woman’s car, and shot her in the back when she resisted. The victim remains in critical condition. During that shooting, his ex-girlfriend fled but the two children remained in the suspect’s car, LAPD spokesperson Amanda Betat said.
Samos and the two children then drove to Long Beach where his mother provided him with a car, and Samos’ own two children – ages 1 and 5 years old – joined him in the car.
On Sunday, Samos was preparing to leave the Pacific Avenue residence when officers recognized him and moved in. Samos attempted to flee with a gun in his hand and as he neared officers with the gun, an officer fired one round which grazed Samos’ head, hospitalizing him in stable condition
The Press-Telegram‘s Kelly Puente reveals further disturbing information in this article:
Samos had contacted authorities from an undisclosed location and offered to trade at least some of the children for his ex-girlfriend, [LAPD Lt. Faryl] Fletcher said.
Samos faces a range of charges that include rape, attempted murder, domestic violence and kidnapping. The LAPD is conducting investigations of both the crimes against the suspects and the officer-involved shooting, the latter with help from the LBPD.
UPDATE: The Press-Telegram‘s Kelly Puente reports today that Samos is expected to survive the gunshot wound.