A mother and her teenage daughter held against their wills after a gun battle injured two police officers were released Wednesday night and their captor was taken into custody to end an hours-long SWAT standoff in a Southern California neighborhood.
The tense situation began the afternoon before Thanksgiving when officers responded to a report of a 14-year-old girl being dragged by a man. Inglewood police described the attack as a case of domestic violence.
Those responding officers exchanged gunfire with the man, identified as 45 year-old Christopher Warsaw, who holed himself up in a home in the 10700 block of Fifth Avenue.
SWAT teams in armored vehicles and other law enforcement agencies descended on the neighborhood, described by residents as a "quiet" and "nice" place to live.
Details about how the captor -- who police said has a criminal record -- was taken into custody and the hostages rescued were not immediately available.
The standoff ended about 9:30 p.m., some nine hours after it began.
Warsaw, who has a criminal history, was booked for attempted murder and was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, sheriff's officials said.
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Earlier in the day, the shooter vowed not to be taken alive, a witness told NBC4.
"They were shooting back, but he was really shooting at them," Kimberly Edwards said. "He screamed out the window, 'I'll die for this. I'll die for this."
Law enforcement officials told NBC that one Inglewood officer, who was wearing a protective vest, was struck in the chest by the gunfire. Details regarding his injuries were not immediately available, but the officer was alert and conscious, officials said.
A second officer also was hurt, but it appears that she was not shot, officials said.
Both officers were initially taken to Centinela Hospital Medical Center. The officer shot in the chest was later transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and the other officer was released.
The family of the officer shot in the chest said their loved one may be out of the hospital in time to celebrate Thanksgiving at home.
"We're just glad the best was there," the officer's brother said, calling his sibling's colleagues a "band of brothers."
Inglewood police Lt. Oscar Mejia said two females were held hostage inside the home. It is believed the mother is the captor's ex-girlfriend.
Residents described a quick police response after hearing a barrage of gunfire.
"I heard what I thought were fireworks," resident Janice Wilson said. "Then I realized those weren't fireworks.
"I stepped out on my porch, and I could see the officers coming."
Aerial video showed at least 15 patrol vehicles in the area, and several officers and deputies were outside the house. The Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatched three ambulances and other personnel.
Video from the scene showed an officer carrying a child and escorting others away from the neighborhood, which was locked down during the standoff. Several homes were evacuated.
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