An officer-involved shooting is currently under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department's Force Investigation Division following an incident late last week in the city's Southwest Division. As reported by the LAPD, the sequence of events began at approximately 10:55 p.m. on January 20, when LAPD officers were summoned to the scene of a disturbance at an apartment complex located in the 3900 block of Ursula Avenue.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers were met with information that Tiffany Shanae Ruffus, a 37-year-old resident of the complex, had purportedly vandalized her apartment by breaking the front window in addition to damaging the windows of two other units nearby. Compounding the situation, a caller had informed 911 operators that Ruffus was suffering from mental illness. Officers were directed by victims of the vandalism to Ruffus' location within the apartment complex, according to the LAPD's official news release.
In an attempt to safely address the situation, LAPD officers formed a tactical team just outside Ruffus' residence. Despite officers' attempts to open a line of communication, Ruffus remained non-compliant. Using a key to the apartment, officers gained entry, confronted by Ruffus who emerged wielding a metal stove grate as a weapon. A TASER deployment proved ineffective, and as Ruffus continued her aggressive behavior toward the officers, an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) ensued.
Ruffus retreated to a bedroom after the shooting, where she eventually surrendered to police. Remarkably, despite the gunfire, Ruffus sustained no bullet wounds but was treated for injuries resulting from the TASER. Post-treatment, she was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. The LAPD report confirmed that the incident did not result in any injuries to officers or other community members and that an approximately 20-inch black metal stove grate was collected from the scene as evidence.
The LAPD Force Investigation Division continues its inquiry into the specifics of the OIS, with a standard review of all collected and analyzed evidence. This investigation, the LAPD cautions, is subject to change as new information becomes available. The Department is expected to provide updates as their understanding of the event evolves.
