*The LAPD has identified the a-hole who was arrested for holding hostages inside a Trader Joe’s market that resulted in the death of a woman, the store manager. His name is Gene Evin Atkins. He was booked on suspicion of murder. His bail was set at $2 million.
The store manager, identified by family members as Melyda Corado, was shot and killed during the incident, possibly in the crossfire between LAPD officers and the suspect.
The taking of hostages and the death of theTrader Joe’s manager came after Atkins, 28, had caused more havoc and mayhem earlier on Saturday in South Los Angeles. At around 1:30pm, authorities said the suspect was involved in a family dispute, eventually shooting his 78-year-old grandmother multiple times before fleeing the scene with a woman he’d also shot.
The suspect took the woman, said to be his girlfriend, into his grandmother’s vehicle and drove off. Authorities tried to stop him in Hollywood, but he led them on a chase. At one point, he opened fire on officers from the vehicle, shattering his back window.
During that shooting, the suspect crashed into a pole near the Trader Joe’s in the Silver lake section of the city. He was shot in the arm and then ran inside the store as authorities returned fire, shooting out the glass doors of the business.
Employees and customers inside the store dove for cover as the bullets flew. Police believe Corado was shot inside the store, possibly during this shootout. Authorities tried to render aid, but she died at the scene.
The moment the LA #TraderJoesHostageSituation began. Suspect’s car crashes being chased by dozens of police. Gun fire immediately after. I count maybe 10 shots. All this captured by intrepid Angeleo @faithsilva who was nice enough to share with me. Our local #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/xKQlGWprpl
— Miguel Marquez (@miguelmarquez) July 22, 2018
As the standoff continued, the suspect held people hostage and made demands with crisis negotiators. But around 6:30 p.m., the suspect surrendered and walked out with the hostages. He asked if he could place the cuffs on himself, authorities said.
Trader Joe’s provided an updated statement to the incident, stating the store would be closed until further notice.
“Yesterday marks the saddest day in Trader Joe’s history as we mourn the loss of one of our own. Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable ordeal.
Our Silverlake (sic) store will remain closed until further notice to give our Crew Members time to process yesterday’s events. We will continue to do whatever we can to support them, including providing grief counselors to help them cope with the situation.”
As far as the suspect’s grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Madison, she was in stable condition at the hospital and the other woman he shot only suffered a graze wound to her head. Both are expected to survive.
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