Two Police Officers Recovering After Ambush in California, Protestors Blocked Hospital Entrance Yelling ‘We Hope They Die’
Two deputies on patrol in Compton, California were ambushed and shot multiple times by an unknown assailant, which Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva labeled as a “cowardly act.” Both are currently recovering in the hospital and are expected to survive.
“God bless them, it looks like they’re going to be able to recover,” Sheriff Villanueva said, according to The Associated Press. “They survived the worst.”
This summer has seemingly been one of the most divisive in modern American history, especially with the anti-police rhetoric that has appeared at many protests. As a result of this hostile environment, two deputies are fighting for their lives after what appears like an attempted execution.
Identified by the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department (LASD) as a 31-year-old mother with a 6-year-old son and a 24-year-old man, both had been on the department only a little over a year before this incident. The deputies were sitting at M.L.K. Transit Center, which is a metro station in the notoriously crime-riddled Compton area of Los Angeles County, when a man walked up to their patrol vehicle and shot both of them. Per ABC News, the female deputy suffered gunshots to the jaw and arms and is listed in critical but stable condition. The male deputy suffered gunshot wounds to the forehead, arms and a hand, but he is alert.
He remains on the loose and authorities are offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. He has been described as a black man approximately 28-30 years old.
Both of the deputies were rushed to the hospital and were released from surgery late Saturday evening.
After LASD reported the shooting, a mob of black, anti-police agitators came to the hospital with the intent of finding their rooms and confronting them, with one man stating in a video that they wanted to see “two of America’s most notorious gang members” and “murderers.” When refused access, the group became verbally abusive and belligerent with hospital staff and the police officers on site, blocking the entrance to the emergency room and claiming that they were “sick.”
(Warning: Video contains graphic language and disturbing statements.)
Some of the statements made by the men include, “I hope that b—- dies,” “f— the police,” “y’all gonna die, one by one,” and “I hope they die motherf—–” (laughter can be heard). Most disturbingly, the man behind the video later says, “We’re just celebrating.” The police eventually came over to assist hospital security and pushed the mob outside of the hospital property and down the street.
Ultimately, in order to protect patients, medical personnel and the police officers undergoing surgery and in recovery, police cordoned off streets and blocked the hospital entrance.
Two were arrested, including a reporter, who was charged with interfering with a peace officer. There remains some question over whether she properly identified herself as a member of the press, with LASD reporting that she didn’t. The reporter did post a video of her own arrest, where she can briefly be heard saying, “I’m a reporter with KPCC.”
During several of the protests across the country, certain protestors have utilized fake press credentials as a form of protection while engaging in confrontations with police officers.
Kevin Wharton Price, a member of the AFRIKA TOWN YouTube page that posted the video of a small mob attempting to storm the hospital, said, “We’re supposed to celebrate today, because the oppressor has been slain…I was depressed by the murder of our brother Dijon (Kizzee), I’ve been depressed. This has lightened my heart. The Sherriff’s department has murdered too many of our brothers and sisters. So, if this is the start of retribution, I think it is a very good start.” (Warning: Video contains graphic language and disturbing statements.)
Dijion Kizzee was killed by deputies on August 28 when the Sheriff’s Department tried to confront him over violating a vehicle code while riding his bicycle. According to reports, Kizzee took off and “punched one of them in the face and dropped a handful of clothing…including a black handgun.”
Some believe that this shooting is in response to his death.
In a sign of bipartisan support, both presidential nominees condemned the shooting.
President Donald Trump tweeted, “Our thoughts are with the two Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s Sheriff Deputies who were shot in Los Angeles. We send our love and support to their families and we pray to God for their recovery.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden also responded, tweeting, “This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable, and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.”
This shooting is no doubt the result of the anti-police rhetoric that has been pushed by some within the Black Lives Matter movement and other liberal groups. If the videos presented by AFRIKA TOWN are any indication, tragic shootings like this are more likely to happen in the future.
Photo from REUTERS
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brittany Raymer serves as a policy analyst at Focus on the Family, researching and writing about abortion, assisted suicide, bioethics and a variety of other issues involving the sanctity of human life and broader social issues. She regularly contributes articles to The Daily Citizen and has written op-eds published in The Christian Post and The Washington Examiner. Previously, Raymer worked at Samaritan’s Purse in several roles involving research, social media and web content management. While there, she also contributed research for congressional testimonies and assisted with the Ebola crisis response. Raymer earned a bachelor of arts in history at Seattle Pacific University and completed a master’s degree in history at Liberty University in Virginia. She lives in Colorado Springs with her beloved Yorkie-Poo, Pippa.
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