Wednesday, June 26, 2013
4 Los Angeles officers shot in 2 separate attacks
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles police officer who was shot in the face was out of surgery and the gunman was believed holed up in a Willowbrook home 12 hours after the confrontation, police said today.
Meanwhile, police continued to hunt for a black-clad man who ambushed and wounded two detectives in an unconnected attack.
All three wounded officers “look like they’re going to be OK,” Cmdr. Andrew Smith told KNX-AM.
The officer was shot in the face and a probation officer was grazed in a leg at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday as they conducted a routine probation search at the home in an area 10 miles south of downtown, police said.
At least five officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect.
The officer underwent surgery and remained hospitalized in stable condition in intensive care, Sgt. Albert Gonzalez told KABC-TV.
Dozens of police officers, including snipers, surrounded the home and evacuated nearby houses. Police have been unable to contact the man, although Smith said tear gas was fired into the home and police were considering using a robot to dismantle part of the house.
“Time is always on our side in these events,” he said.
Meanwhile, the search continued for a gunman dressed in black who ambushed two detectives at the gate of the Wilshire Division police station on Tuesday morning. They received minor wounds when the gunman shot up their unmarked police car and fired back, but it was unclear whether the gunman was hit.
Hundreds of officers cordoned off 25 square blocks of the Mid-City area for hours and detained and questioned at least 10 people but failed to find the man.
“There’s really no indication to believe that there’s any link between these two cases,” Smith said.