Drug Suspect Who Fights with Police in Venice Eludes Lengthy Search

A drug suspect who fought with two uniformed Los Angeles Police Department police officers in Venice eluded a search that lasted for more than four hours and involved street closures near 3rd and Rose avenues, canine officers and helicopter surveillance, officials said.

The incident started around 2:45 p.m. when a narcotics investigation near 3rd and Rose avenues escalated to a "physical confrontation" between a male suspect and two uniformed officers, said Capt. Jon Peters of the LAPD's Pacific Division.

The officers suffered minor injuries with one reporting soreness to his neck and the other had scrapes and cuts on his elbows and knees, Peters said.

The incident brought a strong police presence to the area with a perimeter set up blocking autos and pedestrians from the area bounded by Main Street to the west, Marine Street to the north, 4th Avenue to the east and Rose Avenue to the south. Three officers and a canine unit were seen about 5:30 p.m. searching backyards behind the apartment buildings on 3rd Avenue between Marine and Rose and a helicopter circled the area until about 6:10 p.m.

The command scene was starting to break up about 7 p.m. as more than a dozen uniformed and non-uniformed officers at the scene were starting to wrap up their criminal and administrative investigation, Peters said.

"The suspect remains outstanding. We did not find him in our perimeter," Peters said.

Peters said he had a conversation with a homeless person who thought the police department's reaction was "overkill."

"The reason we take this is so serious is that if an individual has the fortitude and audacity to attack or fight with a uniformed police officer, that's an attack on the whole community," Peters said. "If they are inclined to do that to someone who is in a position of authority and clearly visible, imagine what that means to the safety of the average citizen walking around out there. So, I adamantly disagree that it's overkill."

Police will continue an investigation of the suspect and have information to follow up on, Peters said.

A reverse 911 call was issued to homes and businesses within the perimeter to let them know of the police activity, Peters said. Police also told residents over a public address system to stay within their homes until told it was safe.

It is the fourth time in the last five months that a suspect has eluded authorities after a containment perimeter had been thrown down. A home invasion suspect who also was a parolee-at-large eluded police after a three-hour search on Labor Day evening near Abbot Kinney Boulevard Brooks Avenue and a parolee-at-large who was spotted in the Marina Peninsula on Sept. 13 eluded a helicopter and containment that lasted nearly an hour. A gunman who shot a man Dec. 13 in an alley behind Whole Foods Market thwarted a perimeter that also included a helicopter.