Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Search Continues for Gunman Who Shot California Deputies
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
September 14, 2020

Share

LOS ANGELES — Authorities were continuing to search Monday for a gunman who walked up to a parked sheriff’s squad car and opened fire, critically wounding two Los Angeles County deputies in an ambush recorded on surveillance video.

Officials asked for the public’s help in identifying the gunman in a weekend ambush after officials offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery after the shooting Saturday evening and were expected to recover, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday.

“They performed in an admirable fashion in spite of grave adversity,” Villanueva said during a conversation with local religious leaders. “God bless them.”

The deputies, who graduated together from the sheriff’s academy 14 months ago, were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station and were able to radio for help, the sheriff said.

The department has faced criticism during recent protests over racial unrest but it’s unclear if that was a factor in the shooting. Officers have only a “very, very generic description” of the shooter to go on, officials said.

Surveillance video shows a person approach the parked patrol car on foot and shoot with a handgun through the passenger-side window.

“The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,” the department stated.

An extended version of the video reviewed by the Los Angeles Times shows the shooter running away in the direction from which he came. He turns a corner out of the frame, past a second figure lingering on the sidewalk, according to the Times. It’s unclear if the second person was involved in the attack. A Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

This Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, still image taken from video released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, shows Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva taking questions at a late-night news conference about the condition of two Sheriff’s deputies in Compton, Calif. Authorities searched Sunday for a gunman who shot and wounded two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who were sitting in their squad car, an apparent ambush that drew an angry response from the president and sparked an anti-police protest outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

A Handful of Protesters Gathered Outside the Hospital Where the Injured Deputies Were Being Treated

Moments after the shooting, the passenger door opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head, according to the newspaper. The driver’s-side door opens soon after.

The video sparked reaction from President Trump who responded on Twitter: “Animals that must be hit hard!”

“This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice,” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. “Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.”

A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated. The protesters tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point were prevented from entering the emergency room, Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez with the Churches in Action group told the TV station KABC.

“Unacceptable behavior. The hospital should be a sanctuary, we should leave hospitals alone,” he said. Mendez and members of his group gathered nearby in prayer for the wounded deputies.

Videos from the scene recorded at least one person in the crowd yelling, “I hope they … die.”

A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody. The sheriff’s department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester.

“The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person,” the department stated.

The Office of the Los Angeles County Inspector General Has Opened an Investigation Into the Reporter’s Arrest

After being released, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, a National Public Radio affiliate, said on Twitter that she had been covering the sheriff’s news conference when she returned to the hospital after hearing protesters shouting. She was wearing her press pass, she said.

One of several videos Huang said she shot moments before her arrest showed two men carrying red, black and green flags and yelling at deputies outside the hospital while a few other people stood by recording on their cellphones.

Huang tweeted that she began walking behind deputies who were following the small group of protesters.

“I was filming an arrest when suddenly deputies shout ‘back up.’ Within seconds, I was getting shoved around. There was nowhere to back up,” Huang said on Twitter. In another video, Huang can be heard shouting, “I’m a reporter… I’m with KPCC” as she falls to the ground.

The executive editor of the station, Megan Garvey, expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her credentials and had shouted her KPCC affiliation. NPR’s Editorial Director Nancy Barnes said the network was “appalled” by the arrest of a reporter doing her job.

The office of the Los Angeles County Inspector General, which oversees investigations and actions of the sheriff’s department, has opened an investigation into the reporter’s arrest.

Protesters have railed against the LA Sheriff’s Department for weeks over recent shootings by deputies, including the killing of a man on a bicycle last month. There was no known connection between the recent shootings and Saturday’s ambush and investigators are “chasing all leads,” Villanueva told the Times.

“Of course, there’s an important conversation going on about policing in this country, but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us, and we will find justice for them,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Michael Lee Brewer

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Awards Honorary Doctorates to Educator, Prisons Official, Businessman

DON'T MISS

Floods Exposed Weaknesses in California Prisons’ Emergency Plans. They Still Aren’t Ready

DON'T MISS

White House Dismisses Democrats on Consumer Product Safety Commission

DON'T MISS

Residents Stockpile Food, Rush to Bunkers as Conflict Rattles India and Pakistan

DON'T MISS

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

DON'T MISS

Nitrous Oxide Recreational Use Risks: Brain Damage, Death, and Easy Access

DON'T MISS

Federal Cuts Threaten Science, Ethics, and Public Health

DON'T MISS

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican Who Became a Liberal Darling, Dies at 85

DON'T MISS

Pope Leo XIV Celebrates First Mass as Pope and Calls His Election Both a Cross and a Blessing

UP NEXT

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

UP NEXT

Nitrous Oxide Recreational Use Risks: Brain Damage, Death, and Easy Access

UP NEXT

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican Who Became a Liberal Darling, Dies at 85

UP NEXT

Pope Leo XIV Celebrates First Mass as Pope and Calls His Election Both a Cross and a Blessing

UP NEXT

Selma Bear Sighting Prompts Police, Wildlife Response

UP NEXT

Republicans’ Trust in Media Increases Following Trump’s Return to White House

UP NEXT

Rejoicing Peruvians See Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own After His Many Years in Peru

UP NEXT

Shohei Ohtani Could Have Landed 15-Year Deal, Agent Says, but He Didn’t Want to Risk Skills Decline

UP NEXT

Los Angeles Coliseum and SoFi Stadium to Share Opening and Closing Ceremonies for 2028 Olympics

UP NEXT

Joe Biden Blames Kamala Harris’ Loss on Sexism and Racism and Rejects Concerns About His Age

White House Dismisses Democrats on Consumer Product Safety Commission

32 minutes ago

Residents Stockpile Food, Rush to Bunkers as Conflict Rattles India and Pakistan

44 minutes ago

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

1 hour ago

Nitrous Oxide Recreational Use Risks: Brain Damage, Death, and Easy Access

1 hour ago

Federal Cuts Threaten Science, Ethics, and Public Health

2 hours ago

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican Who Became a Liberal Darling, Dies at 85

2 hours ago

Pope Leo XIV Celebrates First Mass as Pope and Calls His Election Both a Cross and a Blessing

2 hours ago

Texas Measles Cases Rise to 709, State Health Department Says

2 hours ago

The Latest: Trump Floats Cutting China Tariffs to 80% Ahead of Weekend Meeting

2 hours ago

Wall Street Drifts as It Waits for a Highly Anticipated US-China Meeting on Trade

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Michael Lee Brewer

May 9, 2025 Most Wanted Person of the Day Suspect Name: Michael Lee Brewer Suspects Date of Birth: July 11, 1978 Physical Description: White...

13 minutes ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
Michael Lee Brewer is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 8, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
13 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Michael Lee Brewer

18 minutes ago

Fresno State Awards Honorary Doctorates to Educator, Prisons Official, Businessman

22 minutes ago

Floods Exposed Weaknesses in California Prisons’ Emergency Plans. They Still Aren’t Ready

Signage is seen outside of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Rockville, Maryland, U.S., August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
32 minutes ago

White House Dismisses Democrats on Consumer Product Safety Commission

People shop for essential goods at a supermarket in Amritsar, India, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
44 minutes ago

Residents Stockpile Food, Rush to Bunkers as Conflict Rattles India and Pakistan

1 hour ago

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

1 hour ago

Nitrous Oxide Recreational Use Risks: Brain Damage, Death, and Easy Access

2 hours ago

Federal Cuts Threaten Science, Ethics, and Public Health

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend