Boy In Amber Alert Found Safe; Police Kill Father Wanted For Kidnapping, Murder
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 9-year-old boy is safe after a statewide Amber Alert was issued after his father killed his estranged wife then abducted the boy, police said. Los Angeles Police later shot and killed the 48-year-old father in Encino Tuesday night.
Daniel Morozov was abducted at 8:39 p.m. Monday following a shooting in Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County by his father, Konstantin Morozov, according to the Santa Maria Police Department. A woman was found dead at the scene of a shooting at 230 N. College Dr. in Santa Maria, and the investigation into the homicide prompted the Amber Alert for Daniel.
Authorities say Morozov was shot in the officer-involved shooting around 7 p.m. at Lindley Avenue and Burbank Boulevard when LAPD officers confronted Morozov at an apartment after a tip from Santa Maria Police. Morozov later died at a hospital.
The CHP in Sacramento ended the Amber Alert at about 8 p.m. and said the boy was found safe and is now with children and family services.
Several years ago the family lived in North Hollywood. Neighbors told CBS2's Crystal Cruz that Konstantin was strange, scary, controlling and not a happy man. Neighbors were happy to see him go.
"He was a very quiet guy, very quiet, a little bit strange but very quiet," the neighbor who did not want to go on camera said. "He was in his own world, kind of, he was um not very social with the other people."
Police said they found a black 2017 Jeep Cherokee, with California license plate 7XZK698 abandoned in Santa Barbara around 4 p.m. They believe Konstantin was driving that vehicle after his first car was found abandoned.
The Amber Alert initially listed a blue 2015 Volkswagen Golf Hatchback with California license plate number 7JGG242, according to the California Highway Patrol. Police reported at around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday that the Volkswagen had been found abandoned in Santa Maria, but Daniel and his father were still missing.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
