Compton police shooting: Everything we know about 'ambush' gun attack on two police officers in LA
Two sheriff’s deputies in Los Angeles are in critical condition following a shooting in Compton, California on Saturday.
Surveillance footage captures a suspect walking up to the deputies’ parked patrol car and firing into the passenger side window before running from the scene.
Here is what we know so far:
Officials called the shooting an “ambush” after a suspect fired into a patrol car, injuring two deputies – a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman – on Saturday night. Both deputies joined the office 14 months ago, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Update: One male deputy and one female deputy were ambushed as they sat in their patrol vehicle. Both sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition. They are both currently undergoing surgery. The suspect is still at large.
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020
Donald Trump – who has demanded “retribution” and supported extrajudicial killings in the wake of police brutality protests – has called the suspect an “animal that must be hit hard” and called for the death penalty. “Only way to stop this!” he said on Twitter.
If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this! https://t.co/K3sKh28GjX
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2020
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said: “This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.”
This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice.
Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.
Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery. https://t.co/330QfeIUGg— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 13, 2020
California Senator and Biden running-mate Kamala Harris also condemned the attack: “The perpetrator must be brought to justice.”
Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice. https://t.co/ckuRllMtzv
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 13, 2020
Both deputies are on the sheriff’s transportation detail.
Law enforcement officials have not announced whether they have identified a suspect. The FBI is assisting the investigation.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has faced intense scrutiny over the recent killings of residents by police, which have renewed ongoing protests against police violence throughout the state.
Sheriff Villanueva called the handful of people heckling officers who guarded the outside of the hospital an “unlawful assembly of a group of protesters” who are "blocking the hospital emergency entrance and exits”. Journalists’ video from the scene does not appear to show evidence that the entrance and exits were blocked.
Hi folks, I was trying to send this tweet before I was arrested and the video apparently just uploaded now.
— Josie Huang (@josie_huang) September 13, 2020
Josie Huang, a reporter for LAist and NPR affiliate KPCC in Los Angeles, was arrested while filming the arrest of one of the people outside the hospital. Local media captured several deputies pinning her to the ground.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement on social media that Ms Huang "did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person" though she was wearing press credentials around her neck.
This is our terrific reporter @josie_huang who has been covering this story for hours. @LACoSheriff @LASDHQ where is Josie? Why are reporters being arrested? Where can I go get her? https://t.co/2eomkLwN3K
— Megan Garvey (@garveymcvg) September 13, 2020
According to Deputy Juanita Navarro of the Sheriff's Information Bureau, Ms Huang was accused of “interfering with a lawful arrest” and held at Century Regional Detention Center before she was released without bail and cited for “obstruction”. According to KPCC, Ms Huang had “visible bruises and scrapes, a sore shoulder and a blackened eye.”
LAist and KPCC have demanded that the sheriff’s office drop the charges against her: “We offer condolences to the two sheriff deputies who were shot Saturday evening. These are challenging and stressful times for everyone, but Josie Huang was arrested while doing her job."