LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police on Wednesday identified the suspect who was fatally shot by officers a day earlier after shooting several people in the city’s downtown, killing two of them.
Carlos Lopez, 49, died Tuesday after a gun battle with police following a car chase that ended on a freeway overpass in Orange County, police said. A handgun was recovered at the scene.
Officials didn’t identify the gunman’s motive for the rampage. Police Lt. Raul Jovel said shortly after the shootings that they appeared to be “random acts of violence.”
Lopez had been driving a white Jeep Cherokee and refused pleas from police and a family member to surrender, authorities said.
Detectives are investigating whether the shootings were hate crimes, the Los Angeles Times reported. The victims included two Asian men and a Latino man. Hate crimes, particularly against Asians, have risen dramatically nationwide.
Police are investigating if Lopez is connected to any other crimes.
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