Fatality amid LA hostage drama

A WOMAN has been killed after a gunman accused of shooting his grandmother and girlfriend was holed up inside a Los Angeles supermarket, sparking a three-hour standoff that ended with his surrender.

Between 40 and 50 people were in the Silver Lake Trader Joe’s store when the gunman burst in after crashing his car about 1.30pm LA time on Saturday following a police pursuit.

He fired shots at police during the chase from the LA suburb of Newton to Silver Lake.

An officer returned fire, hitting him in the left arm.

LAPD tweeted that the suspect shot the woman inside the store.

Throughout the three-hour drama, police spoke on the phone with the man, who was wanted for shooting his grandmother seven times. Her condition was unknown late yesterday.

A 20-year-old woman in his car was rescued by police and taken to hospital for treatment.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti praised police and firefighters who swarmed the site for saving many lives and entering negotiations with the man.

The suspect walked out of the store with a cluster of four hostages and appeared to be already handcuffed as the group emerged. Police immediately surrounded him, searched him and took him to a waiting ambulance.

Investigators believe the suspect, whose name hadn’t been released last night, had shot his grandmother and girlfriend and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry after dragging the young woman into the car.

Police used LoJack technology to locate the car and tried to stop it before pursuing it, Mr Garcetti said, adding that the suspect shot at police through the back window of his car.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car chased by police crash into a pole just outside.

I LOOK BEHIND ME AND THERE WERE TWO POLICE GUYS COMING WITH HEAVY GUNS, THEN BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM WITNESS DON KOHLES

“Then this guy comes out of the car and starts running toward TJ’s,” Mr Kohles said.

“I look behind me and there were two police guys coming with heavy guns, then boom, boom, boom, boom, so I go into TJ’s and I see this guy and he comes in.”

Officers in riot gear and armed with rifles stood along the side of the shop and used mirrors to try to look inside as hostages periodically came out with their hands raised.

President Donald Trump tweeted he was “watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely”.

Pictures: AP An unidentified Trader Joe's supermarket employee (left) is comforted after a gunman held hostages inside the store in Los Angeles on Saturday. Police believe a man involved in a standoff at the Los Angeles supermarket shot his grandmother and girlfriend. Hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered. INSET: (Left) Police cordon off the scene, and (right) Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti addresses the media.