Man who shot three LAPD officers was fugitive parolee; two officers sent home from hospital

Two of the three LAPD officers shot during a brief gun fight with a fugitive parolee this week were released from the hospital Thursday as more details emerged about the shooter, who died in the confrontation, police said.

All three officers, who were assigned to the department’s Metropolitan Division, were expected to recover from their injuries, police said. One officer was shot in the arm, another in the leg and a third was hit in the torso, but his body armor likely deflected the round, authorities said.

The shootout triggered a citywide tactical alert Wednesday night and saw the Lincoln Heights neighborhood near downtown flooded with officers, including the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team and three armored vehicles.

The incident began when officers were called to the 3800 block of Broadway about 3:50 p.m. to search for a parolee at large, said LAPD Asst. Chief Al Labrada. Officers located the man, who they said refused to comply with police, and a K-9 unit was requested.

Officers used tear gas, but the man, who was identified Thursday as Jonathan Magana, 32, still refused to comply and at some point opened fire on the officers, LaBrada said. Police returned fire and Magana died during the confrontation.

Magana’s body was later found inside a building by an LAPD robot equipped with cameras, police said. Whether he died by his own hand or was killed by officers has yet to be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner.

Magana had a lengthy criminal record and in January was charged with battery on a police officer and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in connection with an incident late last year, according to court records and law enforcement sources. He posted bond and was released after the incident in October, but he failed to show up for his arraignment hearing last month.

In February 2020, Magana was convicted of two felony counts of robbery connected to incidents in 2019, records show. He was sentenced to four years in prison for the first count and a year in county jail for the second count. In 2014, he was convicted of selling methamphetamine, according to court records. His history of convictions runs throughout his entire adult life.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference at the hospital, where she once worked, and praised the officers for their courage.

“I deeply appreciate their service, and let them know that their city stands with them,” Bass said after speaking with the officers. “I very much look forward to their recovery. My heart goes out to the officers’ families who tonight got the phone call, or the knock on the door, that they dread every day that their loved ones go on duty.”