When a community not known to have high crime rate gets hit with a crime event– sparks sure fly.
As a resident of Lincoln Heights, I’ve grown immune to hearing the wailing siren of police cars, the occasional hovering of sky choppers, and the rare occurrence of loud pops that resembles gun shots.
Despite my immunity to the potential crime surrounding the community, nothing could have prepared me to learn about the real crime event that took place on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at Monterey Park.
About 5pm what started out as an apparent hit and run event soon became a deadly battleground for an armed man, police officers, and public civilians in the area according to news report from the Los Angeles Times.
The event took place at South Garfield Avenue and W. Newmark Avenue. The armed man identified as Edgar Arbizo Battad, 63, rear-ended his car into another car, stabbed the other car driver’s leg, and returned to his apartment at Newmark Avenue according to a Monday’s article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune newspaper.
Police officers soon arrived in front of the armed man’s apartment where he began shooting his .44 Magnum, leaving one officer in critical condition. The armed man later escaped from the back which led the officers to a chase. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the gun man never ceased fire during the chase.
The event ended up with the armed man killed on the scene after police officers returned fire according to reports from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Los Angeles Times.
Some public civilians watching the event unfold from about 600 feet away were reportedly injured according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
If a lesson can be learned from this event, it would be that all crimes have the potential to exist in any community, no matter how quiet a community may be. And if you happen to find yourself in a life threating situation, don’t be a hero, and run, dash, and duck for safety!
The Lincoln Press 
Sad. It is important to learn and understand more of the personal history of Mr. Battad. Drugs, drunk, gang affiliation, family. psychotic. All of the above. What?
Regardless of the man’s personal issues, one must understand that if you are armed and start firing at other armed men, they’re not going to sit there and not return fire.