Officer wounded in shooting outside police station in South Los Angeles; suspect, 14, in custody
By Tony Cabrera
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SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A Los Angeles Police Department officer suffered a graze wound Thursday morning in a shooting near the agency’s Newton Division station in South Los Angeles, and a 14-year-old suspect was later taken into custody, authorities said.
Investigators believe the 14-year-old opened fire in the shooting, which occurred about 5 a.m. in the 3400 block of South Central Avenue as the officer was arriving to work, according to the LAPD.
The officer “felt a sharp pain to the back of his head” while driving, and was able to run to a fire station across the street from the police station for medical treatment, LAPD Assistant Chief Rob Marino said at a news conference. Los Angeles firefighter-paramedics transported him to a hospital in stable condition, and he is expected to recover.
The officer’s personal vehicle, a pickup truck, was seen partially on a sidewalk in front of the police station after apparently jumping the curb. The truck’s passenger-side window was shattered.
“There’s no indication he had been targeted at this point,” Marino said.
The shooting prompted a massive response from the victim’s fellow officers, who set up a perimeter in the area.
An officer who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the shooting put out a description of the suspect, who was take into custody several blocks from the scene.
In the pre-dawn hour, several investigators scoured the street with flashlights, apparently searching for spent shell casings and other evidence.
The juvenile was in possession of a handgun when apprehended, Marino told reporters.
The wounded officer was identified only as a 20-year veteran of the department who is assigned to juvenile crimes. The name of the suspect, a minor, was also withheld.
Police Chief Michel Moore tweeted: “Grateful our officer will survive this unprovoked attack. Just spoke with him by phone. … Too many guns in too many hands.”
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