Man arrested for attempted murder of an officer, parole violation

issue 16, Man arrested for attempted murder of an officer, Miranda Eastman, News, parole violation - By Miranda Eastman on Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 04:18

On Friday, Jan. 27, Whittier’s Historic District, roughly the streets between Hadley Street and Beverley Boulevard, was the scene of a shooting allegedly by Matthew Cloutman, a West Covina parolee lasting from 12:30 to 11 p.m. The shooting shook both the Whittier College and the greater Whittier communities making many worried about their safety.

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, U.S. Marshals were following Matthew Cloutman, 36, a suspect in a West Covina carjacking that occurred in December, in the early afternoon on Friday, Jan. 27. Once becoming aware to the Marshals, Cloutman allegedly fled and broke into a house on the 6200 block of Washington Avenue. Around 12:30 p.m., he allegedly fired several shots at the Marshals, and barricaded himself in the house. Soon after that helicopters were soon patrolled the spotted in the air.

Bystanders were quick to arrive on scene as soon as gunshots were fired. Police cars quickly blocked off the entire area and attempted to evacuate all houses on the 6200 block of Washington Avenue, and the Marshals set up headquarters at Whittier High School. Soon large, black, armored trucks came arrived coming up Friends Avenue with SWAT team members hanging off the sides, wielding M4A1’s.

Everyone grew silent as the S.W.A.T. team pulled out riot shields and prepared to move down Broadway Avenue. Parents ushered their children inside, older women declared, “I want nothing to do with this,” and walked back into their homes. “I’ve never seen anything like this and I’d never expect it to happen here,” Jacob Tucker, a man living on the 6200 block of Friends Avenue said.

Eyewitnesses report seeing a U.S. Marshal getting pulled out of the scene on a gurney and loaded into an ambulance. They also report seeing an officer get shot by Cloutman. “The officers went in through the alley to get the guy and then there were gun shots,” neighborhood teenager Johnny Forbido said. “Next thing I know, they’re pulling a cop out and an ambulance is taking him away.” However, the Whittier Daily News and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that there were no injuries at the scene. Whittier Daily News declined to comment on this.

After barricading the whole area, members of the S.W.A.T. team broke down doors on the next block on Friends Avenue in order to get to the alley off Washington Avenue, as snipers walked the rooftops. This brought a bit of hysteria amongst the people waiting and watching. “Once snipers are involved, I think it’s time to go home,” sophomore and Whittier resident Samantha Rodriguez said.

Two people inside the house, a younger man and an elderly woman, were released by Cloutman around 3:30 p.m. The woman was rushed off by EMS, while the man was forced to crawl to police and handcuffed before they let him go. Once it was determined he was not Cloutman, the handcuffs were removed and he was taken in for questioning.

People began to demand answers from the police department. All officers on the scene refused to comment, aside from saying, “Step back, please, and let the Marshals do their job.”
Around 10 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department brought in a K-9 Unit. According to San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Cloutman had at this point moved from the front house into the garage. “They’re gonna get him,” sophomore Aaron Silva said. “He should just come out, there’s no point in wasting everyone’s time.”At approximately 11 p.m., the K-9 Unit was sent into the premises, and they found Cloutman hiding in a crawl space. He was arrested without further incident, and is being charged with attempted murder of a police officer and parole violation.The biggest question everyone had was whether or not there were any injuries.

While some reports stated that no one was hurt, some, such as the televised news, stated that there were as many as three people gunned down. “There are many things about this incident that cannot be shared with the public at this time,” a representative from the Whittier Police Department who wished to stay anonymous said.

“As of this moment, our officers are all in stable condition. There have been no recorded fatalities or injuries.”

People living in the surrounding area seem to be in a state of shock still. “It’s weird to think about something like that happening in this neighborhood,” Anthony Luevano, a neighborhood man, said.

“We move here to raise our kids because this has always been regarded as a nice place to live, free of any crime, free of drugs, and this kind of thing shakes our faith. It was not a pleasant experience, and I really hope nothing like that happens again.”