WEST HOLLYWOOD—The suspect who was responsible for a crime spree that spanned more than a month throughout the Los Angeles region remains in critical condition after being shot by authorities on January 4, 2016 at around 3 p.m. on the 5 freeway. Authorities from the Los Angeles Police Department apprehended Artyom Gasparyan, who was hiding out in the Sunland region by a task force of investigative entities who were searching to locate him.

When Gasparyan discovered he was being watched by police he fled in his silver Volkswagen at a high rate of speed. He entered the northbound 5 freeway and drove southbound against the “lawful flow of traffic,” notes the LAPD blog.

The suspect struck a vehicle that resulted in injuries to a woman and her children before he ran on foot. Gasparyan was armed with a handgun and pointed the weapon at officers who fired shots at the suspect. Detectives involved in the shooting have been identified as Detective II Peter Miranda and Detective II Marcelo Raffi.

Gasparyan was injured and transported to a local hospital. The woman and children who were injured when the suspect’s vehicle collided with hers was treated for minor injuries and no injuries were reported of any officers involved in the incident. Authorities were able to recover Gasparyan’s handgun at the scene of the incident.

The LAPD had been searching for Gasparyan for his involvement in a string of crimes that started on December 6, 2015, that included robbery, carjacking, attempted murder and murder. Those crimes included cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, West Hollywood and Carson, with the latest incident occurring on January 1, 2016, when the suspect was involved in a carjacking in Carson.

He was involved in an armed robbery that occurred on the 1000 block of West Hollywood’s North Kings Road on December 29, 2015. On December 9, Gasparyan opened fire on a 67-year-old man in the driveway of a home in the 1700 block of North Catalina Street, Burbank police confirmed. He later shot a 33-year-old gardener a few houses down. Both victims are expected to survive from the injuries they sustained.

On December 30, Gasparyan was allegedly involved in the shooting death of a 37-year-old man near Van Nuys Boulevard and Plummer Street.

Gasparyan did not commit the crimes alone; he was working along Daniel Ramirez who was accustomed by authorities in the 3300 block of Daisy Avenue in Long Beach on January 2, 2016. After a standoff with authorities, Ramirez had shot two people, stabbed another before shooting himself in the head. He was transported to a local hospital where Ramirez later died from injuries he inflicted on himself.

LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck made Gasparyan’s arrest a top priority assigning over 100 detectives and officers to capture Gasparyan who was deemed a dangerous individual and to ensure the safety of the public. During a news conference, Police Chief Beck released the following statement: “He is a very dangerous man. I’ve had well over 100 detectives and several hundred line officers assigned specifically to capture him over the past week.”

The LAPD’s specialized Force Investigation Division (FID) responded to the January 4 incident where they started interviewing witnesses and collecting forensic and other evident. Their ongoing investigation will consist of interviews of additional witnesses, statements from the involved officers, collection and analysis of any video evidence, examination of the weapons, ballistics comparisons, analysis of clothing and DNA comparisons.

Once the investigation is completed, the Chief of Police and the Board of Police Commissioners will determine whether the uses of forced complied with the LAPD’s policies and procedures. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will also conduct a detailed review of the incident to decide with officer’s actions violated California criminal statutes.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call LAPD’s Force Investigation Division at 213-486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) on most keypads with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips.”