LOS ANGELES -- A gunman who got into a deadly shootout with police, then took dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's supermarket in Los Angeles' Silver Lake has been arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said Sunday. Gene Evin Atkins, 28, was being held Sunday morning on $2 million bail, police said.

It wasn't clear if he had an attorney. A message left at a number listed for Atkins in public records wasn't immediately returned.

A woman was shot and killed when Atkins ran into the supermarket on Saturday, but no hostages were seriously hurt before the man handcuffed himself and surrendered about three hours later, police said.

Coroner's officials identified the woman Sunday as 27-year-old Melyda Corado. Her brother, Albert Corado, said on Twitter that she worked at Trader Joe's.

"I'm sad to say she didn't make it. My baby sister. My world," he tweeted.

Atkins' grandmother was hospitalized in critical condition after the shooting and police had no update on her condition Sunday.

Authorities said Atkins shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, whom he forced into a car, at a South Los Angeles home around 1:30 p.m., police said. Officers tracked the car, gave chase and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the supermarket and then ran inside, they said. The unidentified woman, who suffered a graze wound earlier, was taken out of the car by police.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the man shattered the store's glass doors.

Police escort a group of people near the Trader Joe's supermarket in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 21, 2018. Damian Dovarganes / AP

Some people inside the supermarket climbed out windows, and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police officers and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At around 6:30 p.m., Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was immediately taken into custody.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's, where he and his wife regularly shopped when they lived in the neighborhood.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none, and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said.

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles, who lives in the neighborhood and was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the man crashed into the pole.

The driver got out, and police started firing at him as he ran toward the supermarket. Kohles hurried inside, and he and others took cover as the man ran in. "Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said.

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby and frequents Trader Joe's, was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands. "She appeared lifeless," Dunlop said.

Police escort a group of people near the Trader Joe's supermarket in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 21, 2018. Damian Dovarganes / AP

He then saw five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground and around 15 others run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.

President Trump tweeted Saturday that he was watching the situation "very closely," but later deleted the tweet.

Police Chief Michel Moore said the gunman made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could persuade him to surrender peacefully.

Officers had tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the man fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and that's when Corado was shot and killed, Moore said. It was unclear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot, and all were in fair condition.</s>One store employee was killed during the standoff, and six people were hospitalized afterward.

One store employee was killed during the standoff, and six people were hospitalized afterward.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes). An unidentified Trader Joe's supermarket employee, center, talks on her phone as Los Angeles Police evacuate a group of witnesses after a gunman barricaded himself inside the store in Los Angeles Saturday, July 21, 2018. P...

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes). A group of Trader Joe's supermarket employees are reunited with their co-workers after a gunman barricaded himself inside the store in Los Angeles Saturday.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes). Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, center, and Police Chief Michel Moore, right, brief the media at a news conference after a gunman held dozens of people hostage inside a Trader Joe's supermarket before surrendering to police.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes). Los Angeles Police SWAT officers escort a group of people who were held for their safety by police across businesses surrounding a Trader Joe's supermarket, after a gunman held dozens of people hostage inside the store.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A gunman who took dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's store in Los Angeles was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder, after an employee was killed during the man's shootout with police, in what the supermarket chain described as the worst day in its history.

Gene Evin Atkins, 28, remained behind bars on Sunday in lieu of $2 million bail, according to Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles police spokesman. Atkins had been licensed to work as a security guard, but his license expired in November 2017, according to state records. It was not clear whether the particular license he possessed would have allowed him to legally carry a firearm.

A 27-year-old Trader Joe's employee, Melyda Corado, was killed as Atkis ran into the supermarket in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood on Saturday. Police did not provide any additional details on Sunday and it remained unclear whether she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Investigators believe Atkins shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who police initially described as his girlfriend, at his South Los Angeles home earlier Saturday afternoon.

He stole his grandmother's car after the shooting, according to police, and forced the other woman into the vehicle. Officers had tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, police said. During the chase, he fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

More gunfire ensued before Atkins crashed into a pole outside the supermarket. The man exchanged gunfire with police again and that's when Corado was shot and killed, Police Chief Michel Moore said.

Customers and employees frantically dove for cover and barricaded themselves inside storerooms and bathrooms as bullets fired by police shattered the store's glass doors.

As he heard gunfire, Sean Gerace, who was working in the back of the supermarket, grabbed several of his co-workers and the group made their way into an upstairs storage area. He grabbed a folding ladder and tossed it out a window, helping his colleagues escape to safety, he told KNBC-TV.

"I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window and just tried to get the attention of the SWAT officer," Gerace told the television station.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering. Meanwhile, police removed the female passenger in the car, who had a graze wound, from the scene.

About three hours later, Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages.

His grandmother was taken to a hospital in critical condition but her current condition was not immediately known.

On Sunday, grieving family members, co-workers and customers remembered Corado as lively, hardworking and always smiling. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and notes grew on the sidewalk outside of the store on Sunday.

"I'm sad to say she didn't make it. My baby sister. My world," her brother, Albert Corado said on Twitter.

Trader Joe's said the store - known by customers as a neighborhood hangout with great customer service - would remain closed for the foreseeable future to give their employees time to process and grieve.

"Yesterday marks the saddest day in Trader Joe's history as we mourn the loss of one our own," company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable ordeal."

Associated Press writers Christopher Weber and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into a Los Angeles supermarket where he held dozens of people hostage for about three hours on Saturday before handcuffing himself and surrendering to police.

About two hours before taking the hostages, police say the man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman whom he forced into a car. Police chased the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside Trader Joe’s in the city’s Silver Lake suburb and ran into the store.

Customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the suspect shattered the store’s glass doors. Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

About three hours later at 6.30pm the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man, who police said was about 28, was immediately taken into custody. Police said he had a wound to his arm.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe’s he and his wife regularly shopped at when they lived in the neighbourhood. “The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today,” he said, adding “our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized.”

The hostage situation began around 1.30pm when the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in south Los Angeles and then forced the other woman into his grandmother’s car, Los Angeles police chief Michel Moore said. The grandmother was in critical condition.

Officers tracked the car and tried to stop it in Hollywood but the man refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase he suspect fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car, before he crashed.

Outside the store the man exchanged gunfire with police again and a woman was shot and killed, Moore said. It was not clear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Fire officials said six other people ranging from 12 to 81 years old were taken to hospital. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.</s>LOS ANGELES >> The woman killed in a gun battle at a Los Angeles Trader Joe’s Saturday was the store’s manager, a law enforcement source said.

LOS ANGELES >> The woman killed in a gun battle at a Los Angeles Trader Joe’s Saturday was the store’s manager, a law enforcement source said.

Corado was shot inside the store and died at the scene, authorities said.

The ordeal began as a family dispute in South Los Angeles involving a still unidentified gunman, who shot his grandmother at least seven times and injured another woman, according to police.

The gunman dragged the second woman into his grandmother’s car and fled.

Police found the car in Hollywood using transmissions from its anti-theft device, and a chase ensued. The gunman blew out the car’s his rear window while firing at police, officials said. The pursuit ended with the car crashing into a light post outside the Trader Joe’s in the Silver Lake neighborhood.

The gunman exchanged fire with police and was struck in his left arm before running inside the store, police said.

Between 40 and 50 others were trapped inside, and a three-hour hostage negotiation ensued. During that time, the suspect allowed some to leave while others sneaked out. Some crawled out of windows.

The grandmother was in critical condition after undergoing surgery, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. The second woman injured by the gunman suffered a relatively minor head wound and was in good condition, he said.

Don Kohles was outside the store when he saw the end of the pursuit.

Immediately, he heard two shots and ducked through the exit door. He looked back at the street and saw two police officers shooting at the man.

“The bullets were flying everywhere through the front of the store and across the parking lot,” he said.

The gunfire shattered the glass doors, he said, and the gunman ran into the store and “down the middle aisle.”

A woman at a supermarket across the street said people inside heard the gunfire and that everyone dived to the floor. She said employees eventually let shoppers out.

Condolences for Corado spread in the neighborhood and on social media.

“I worked with her for years. I am so so so sorry. Such a lovely, sweet, friendly, hardworking woman. I was thinking about her the whole time, and it’s just incomprehensible,” one former Trader Joe’s employee wrote on Twitter.</s>A man crashed a car and ran into a Los Angeles grocery store Sunday afternoon and took hostages during a standoff with police, authorities said.

The incident started with the shooting of an older and younger woman in a residential area around 1:30 p.m., Los Angeles Police officer Mike Lopez told CNN.

The shooter then fled in a Toyota Camry and crashed at a Trader Joe’s, before running into the store.

"We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area," Los Angeles police tweeted.

UPDATE: We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area. — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

A 20-year-old woman was taken to a hospital and is in fair condition, CNN reported.

Video shows police carrying shields and ushering out a man who has his hands raised. A person who appears to be injured was carried off, and other people could be seen climbing out of the store down a rope ladder.

President Donald Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have tweeted about the standoff.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</s>President Donald Trump tweeted that he was "Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely" and that Los Angeles police officers were working with federal law enforcement.</s>Los Angeles police reported a possible hostage situation at a Trader Joe’s grocery store in Hollywood Saturday.

A suspect being pursued by police crashed his vehicle, got out and ran into the store on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake neighborhood, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez told CNN.

Lopez said customers ran out of the Trader Joe’s. Police were still trying to determine whether there are any hostages inside the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said a 20-year-old female patient has been transferred to a hospital in fair condition. She was removed from a vehicle, not the inside of the store, Stewart said.

“We are on standby and prepared to support but no confirmation how many patients may be inside,” Stewart added.

Earlier, the LAPD tweeted: “There is an active police incident at the Trader Joe’s near the intersection of Hyperion Ave and Griffith Park Blvd in #Silverlake. Please stay clear of the area.”

The incident started around 3:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. ET) and prompted a major police response.

Aerial video shot from a helicopter showed an armored vehicle parked outside the front doors to the store, armed officers carrying shields and a man walking out with his hands up.

The video also showed officers carrying a person who appeared to be injured, as well as people climbing out of a store window and down a rope ladder.

Lopez said he did not know whether any shots had been fired by the police or suspect.</s>Los Angeles police said Saturday a suspected gunman is in custody about three hours after taking hostages inside a Trader Joe's in the Silver Lake neighborhood. There was at least one fatality, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The woman was shot and killed inside the store, police said. They did not release her identity.

After the suspect was in custody, police said they were still recovering people inside as some people had barricaded themselves in different locations throughout the store. There were 40-50 people inside the store when the suspected gunman went inside.

The suspect, who police said is in his 20s, shot his grandmother as many as seven times. He also allegedly shot a woman.

Police said he pulled the woman into his grandmother's car, and fled. Police pursued the suspect and he exchanged gunfire with them, they said.

Police said he was wounded in the left arm, and then went into the Trader Joe's. The suspect was in communication with police via phone and he released some hostages before surrendering.

Police said three women, including the woman killed inside the store, were shot. The grandmother has undergone surgery and her condition remains "very grave," police said.

Police said as of 6:45 p.m. PT that the situation remained fluid.

A 91-year-old man is among those who escaped. Don Kohles was walking into the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section Saturday afternoon when a car being chased by police crashed into a pole just outside.

Kohles says police fired at the male driver and shattered the store's glass doors. Kohles says he and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran inside.

Kohles says the man ran toward the back of the store and yelled at people inside but he never heard any more gunshots.

Kohles he was terrified and others around him were sobbing. After about 30 minutes, he says police came in and rushed them outside.

Lorraine Perrotta, who lives in the Silver Lake neighborhood, says she was getting ready to park her car Saturday afternoon when she heard gunshots.

Some witnesses took to social media.

Devin Field, a writer for "Jimmy Kimmel Live," tweeted he was walking inside when a car crashed into the entrance and a man "got out shooting."

Some people could be seen exiting the store through a side window and down a ladder.

President Trump tweeted Saturday he is watching the situation "very closely."</s>Los Angeles police are responding to "an active incident" at a Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood on Saturday, after a suspect opened fire outside the grocery store.

LAPD Asst. Chief Robert Arcos said in a press briefing that a shooter is "barricaded" in the store. The gunman fled his vehicle to hide in the store, as did several bystanders who ran into the store after hearing gunfire.

"There is still an active police incident at the #TraderJoes near the intersection of Hyperion Ave and Griffith Park Blvd," the LAPD tweeted. "We are still urging the everyone to stay clear of the area. Due to the fluidity of the incident, we will release information as it becomes available."

President Trump tweeted that he's "watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely." Retweeting the president, the LAPD did not dispute his description of the incident as a "hostage situation," but the LAPD has not yet labeled it as such. The LAPD tweeted that the incident began as a "pursuit" that ended in "an officer involved shooting."

The Los Angeles Fire Department's David Ortiz says one female who is in "stable condition" has been taken to the hospital.

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.</s>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police in Los Angeles arrested a man who took hostages and barricaded himself inside a Trader Joe’s store on Saturday, ending a three-hour standoff during which he fatally shot a woman inside, authorities said.

The man, who was being chased by police after he was suspected of repeatedly shooting his grandmother and another woman in a separate part of the city, crashed his car outside the Trader Joe’s, where he exchanged gunfire with police and entered the crowded store.

He was shot in the arm and talked with police over the phone to negotiate a surrender, Mayor Eric Garcetti and police told a news conference.

The man, 28 and not named by police, went out of the store and was surrounded by police.

Once he was in custody, about 20 people who were in the store could be seen spilling on to the street.

“Inside the Trader Joe’s the suspect shot a female victim. She was pronounced dead at scene,” police said on Twitter.

The woman has not yet been identified.

“The suspect at the end asked for handcuffs. He handcuffed himself and then released himself into the custody of L.A. police,” Garcetti said.

During the standoff, aerial footage from local TV stations NBC Los Angeles and CBS Los Angeles showed people leaving a store window using a rope ladder and police carrying children to safety through a parking lot in the city’s Silver Lake neighborhood.

More than an hour after the standoff began, a few hostages were shown on TV leaving the store through the front door.

Some of those who escaped said they hid in employee areas in the back of the store.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was watching the possible hostage situation very closely.

“Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote on Twitter before the arrest.
A gunman is arrested for one count of murder after killing a woman then taking dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's in Los Angeles, California.