(L.A.) Michelle Lariccia, 46, Died in an Abandoned Building
Case Number: 2024-02593
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 46-year-old White/Caucasian female that occurred in an abandoned building.
The coroner’s office has identified the woman as Michelle Lariccia.
Blonde hair / Blue Eyes
Height: 5 feet 7 inches / Weight: 160 pounds
Manner of Death: Accident
Cause of Death: Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Toxicity
RIP MICHELLE LARICCIA (May 11, 1977 – February 11, 2024)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 2:20 p.m.
Ruling by the deputy medical examiner was published on March 20, presumably after the results of tox screening had come back positive for the drugs.
The decedent was known to police as Michele Renee Bulejan. She was most recently arrested by LAPD Transit Services on January 19, 2024, for a felony.
She was involved in a high-profile incident at MacArthur Park in April 2021. For that, she was charged four counts of PC245(d)(2)-F assault, one count of PC246.3(a)-F firearm discharge, one count of burglary, one count of grand theft of a firearm, and one count of PC417(a)(2)(A)-M.
LAPD narrative:
On April 2, 2021, at approximately 2:57 p.m., Rampart Patrol Division officers responded to a report of a female inside MacArthur Park firing a handgun into the air. A Police Air Unit arrived overhead. The suspect (later identified as Michele Renee Lariccia) pointed the handgun at the Air Unit before continuing to walk through the park. Rampart officers arrived on scene and tracked the suspect, as she walked along the shoreline of the lake. The officers attempted to communicate with the suspect for several minutes, giving her commands to drop the handgun. Despite the commands, the suspect raised the handgun and pointed it at officers, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting.
After being struck by gunfire, the suspect dropped her handgun and entered the lake, where she remained for approximately two hours and thirty- five minutes. The suspect eventually exited the lake and was taken into custody.
The suspect was transported by rescue ambulance to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery for gunshot wounds. The suspect is expected to survive and is currently listed in stable condition.
A loaded firearm was recovered at scene.