Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were shot Saturday night in what officials called an “ambush” near a transit station.
The department tweeted that the man and woman had been ambushed as they sat in a parked patrol vehicle. They were in critical condition at a hospital, officials said, and the suspect remained at large.
The department tweeted security video of the attack, saying, “The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation.”
Investigators were studying the disturbing video for clues about who did it.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a late-night news conference that the two graduated from the sheriff’s training academy about 14 months ago.
“One is a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy,” he said. “The other is a 24-year-old.”
Law enforcement sources said the shooter walked up to the deputies’ parked SUV, opened fire through a passenger window and ran off. Investigators have a description of a vehicle that fled the scene.
Homicide Capt. Kent Wegener said at least one of the deputies was able to radio for help. The deputies were taken to the nearby St. Francis Medical Center, where they underwent surgery, Villanueva said.
Deputy Morgan Arteaga said the attack was reported about 7 p.m. at a train station in the city of Compton. The sheriff’s department has a unit that patrols Los Angeles Metro trains; it’s also contracted to police that city.
“They are still alive,” Arteaga said.
The Metro Blue Line train station where Deputy Eric Ortiz said the attack took place is near the sheriff’s Compton Station.
The department also tweeted: “They are both still fighting for their lives, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”
The FBI offered resources to the sheriff’s department Saturday night as authorities searched for the suspect.
Villanueva noted the attack came amid a backdrop of nationwide protests against police after the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
“This is just a sober reminder it’s a dangerous job,” Villanueva said. “Actions, words have consequence. And our job does not get any easier because people don’t like law enforcement.”
President Donald Trump tweeted that whoever shot the deputies are, “Animals that must be hit hard!”
