Two LA County Sheriff’s deputies have been left fighting for life after they were subjected to an unprovoked ambush attack while they were sitting in their police car.
Video footage of the cowardly attack, that took place on Saturday evening, has been released by the LA County Sheriff’s office. It shows an unknown assailant walking alongside the deputies’ parked police car, as though intending to walk past, before turning suddenly left towards the passenger side of the vehicle and firing multiple shot through the car window at the officers. He then makes his escape on foot.
A huge manhunt is currently underway after the attack that took place at the Metro Blue station at Willowbrook Avenue and Compton Boulevard in which the two officers were shot multiple times at point-blank range. The unprovoked attack resulted in a 31-year-old female officer being shot in the jaw and arms and her 24-year-old partner being shot in the forehead, arm and hand.
Speaking to ABC News, a senior official from the department told of how the female officer is the mother of a 6-year-old boy and of how she helped her male colleague in the aftermath of the attack.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, “She helped the other wounded deputy, got on the radio, provided medical care, got him to a place of safety ’cause they didn’t know if there was another attack coming their way,”
The female officer is said to be in a stable critical but stable condition while the male officer is said to be alert.
Both officers graduated from the police academy and were sworn in 14 months ago. Neither officer’s name has been released to the public.
The LA Sheriff’s department has announced a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the gunman’s arrest. He was described as a Black man between 28-30 years old. Authorities say he was wearing dark clothing and was last seen going northbound on Willowbrook Avenue in a black four-door sedan.
President Trump expressed his outrage following the attack when he tweeted, should the officers die that, “fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!”
Demonstrators went to St Francis Medical Centre, where the two deputies were being treated, blocked entrances and exits and were heard to shout, “We hope they … die.”
A journalist for KPCC and LAist, Josie Huang was arrested at the protest and received a citation for obstructing a peace officer.
Other video footage has also emerged since the attack, showing the large police response in the aftermath of the shooting and highlights the callous attitudes of some members of the public towards their fellow human beings.
The video shows that not even one member of the public bothered to offer assistance to the injured officers with the man filming the footage showing off his apparent delight at the attack.
As he films, the man narrates the scene saying, “Compton. N***** just aired the police out,” he says. That’s crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton.”
The grinning man adds, “It’s going up. Somebody bust on their a**. Somebody bust on the police. Two sheriffs shot in the face. Two sheriffs shot in the face – they tripping.
“Somebody just ran up on the corner and bust on their a**, right through the window”. He then ends the video, huge smile on his face by stating: “It’s a wrap.”
