Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man takes officer's gun, opens fire inside LA police station

A Los Angeles Police Department officer suffered minor injuries in an altercation inside a police station with a man who wrestled away the officer’s gun, fired it and then ran when another officer shot at him

Via AP news wire
Sunday 27 September 2020 13:48 EDT
Police Station Shooting California
Police Station Shooting California (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Los Angeles Police Department officer suffered minor injuries during an altercation in a police station with a man who wrestled away the officer’s gun, fired it and then ran when another officer shot at him, authorities said.

The suspect, who was not wounded, got into a vehicle and drove off, police said. Officers stopped him a short distance away and he was arrested.

The injured officer was hospitalized with what Chief Michel Moore described as bumps and bruises.

“He is resting and will be ok,” Moore tweeted early Sunday.

The incident inside the Harbor Station in the Sen Pedro area of Los Angeles unfolded late Saturday night. The suspect walked into the lobby and an officer came out to talk with him.

“It escalated into some type of altercation,” Moore said at a news conference outside the hospital where the officer was being treated. “During that altercation, it appears at this very early stage that the officer’s weapon was taken from him and rounds were fired by the individual at the officer.”

Assistant Police Chief Horace Frank told the Los Angeles Times the watch commander at the station heard noises and saw that the suspect had taken the officer’s gun and was hitting him. The watch commander then fired at the suspect, Frank said.

The suspect was not identified. Moore said he was about 29 years old.

The incident came two weeks after two Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies were ambushed as they sat in their police vehicle in Compton, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of San Pedro. The officers suffered serious gunshot wounds but both have been released from the hospital. The gunman has not been arrested.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in