Woman shot by police after pursuit ends in Woodland Hills

A woman was hospitalized Monday morning after she allegedly led police on a pursuit and then was shot following a standoff in Woodland Hills.

The unidentified 42-year-old woman, who was armed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, is currently in serious condition.

The chase began around 7:45 a.m. in Van Nuys after LAPD officers responded for a report of a potential shooting.

“A passerby saw the van had bullet holes in the windshield, so they called and said they were concerned that there had been a shooting,” LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar said. “Officers arrived and they met with a female outside of the van … she produced a handgun, pointed it at herself and got back in the van.”

Police say she led them on a slow-speed chase before coming to a stop in a cul-de-sac off Mulholland Drive in the southern portion of Woodland Hills.

Sky5 was above the area where the van stopped around 8 a.m. but was unable to get a clear view of it due to tree cover and low clouds. Several squad cars were seen in the area; one officer was seen speaking with a man in a carport, and multiple LAPD airships were also seen monitoring the scene from above.

The woman was engaged in a standoff with police for about 45 minutes, witnesses said. Video posted to the Citizen App showed her standing and then kneeling on top of the van before lying down on her chest.

She appeared to have something sticking out of the top of her shirt, but it was not clear from the footage what it was. Her van also appeared to have cardboard blocking the passenger side window.

LAPD officials confirmed at 9:30 a.m. that at least one officer fired their weapon during the standoff. Details remain limited, but police confirmed the woman was hit and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Footage later obtained by KTLA shows a massive police presence in the area and nearby residents being evacuated from their homes.

One resident who lives in the area described the moments leading up to the Memorial Day standoff in the dead end near her home.

“I was just walking up the street and there were helicopters [but] I thought they were over the park,” Sophie Greenbaum told KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng. “But then they came over my head, and there was the white van coming up the street with ten police cars following her … there [has been] a lot of police activity for many hours.”

“I just pray everybody is safe and okay,” she added.

Another resident said she heard two gunshots but noted that she couldn’t tell who fired them or whether anyone was hit.

“They were just trying to calm her down … they didn’t want to harm her,” the resident said.

At this time, it’s unclear how many officers opened fire on the suspect, if the woman exchanged gunfire, or what led to guns being discharged.

“There is a lot of things that go into play as far as how soon they will approach any suspect like that,” Aguilar said. “First and foremost, they are looking at safety of the officers on the scene, and trying to measure out how safe it is to approach versus the need to obviously get her medical care.”

Authorities also confirmed that the woman had three dogs with her at the time of the shooting. Two of them were located and taken into animal control care, and the third ran away and is being sought.

The extent of the woman’s injuries has not been announced at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Sofia Pop Perez and Luis Zuñiga contributed to this report.