LOS ANGELES _ A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant was fatally wounded Wednesday after responding to a call of a residential burglary in Lancaster, authorities said.
The sergeant was identified as Steve Owen, according to Executive Officer Neal Tyler of the Sheriff's Department.
Gunshots were reported about 12:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of West Avenue J-7, triggering a massive search for the shooter, according to the Sheriff's Department.
Shortly after 2 p.m., the suspected gunman was taken into custody, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. Television news footage showed the man running through the backyard of a home and then putting his arms up.
The wounded sergeant was driven in a sheriff's cruiser to Antelope Valley Hospital in grave condition. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, who was at the hospital, said the lawman was shot in the face. Parris said he knew the officer well, but did not name him.
"This always seems to happen to the most beloved deputies," Parris said.
Initially, the sheriff's department reported that two deputies had been shot. Later, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said that one deputy was shot and another was injured, though he had not been shot. The extent of his injuries was unclear.
"It was a roll-up burglary call. It was a simple call," McDonnell said. "We don't know if it was an ambush or anything."
After the shooting, deputies established a perimeter and began searching for the gunman. SWAT officers were dispatched to the scene as authorities warned the public to stay away from the area.
Students at Antelope Valley College tweeted that they heard gunshots in the area. The campus is about a mile from the scene of the shooting.
The college asked students to shelter in place, avoid the area and await further instructions. Other schools in the area were also locked down.
There was no shooter on the Antelope Valley College campus, spokeswoman Liz Diachun said.
"Safety and security is our No. 1 concern," she said, explaining the shelter in place order.
