Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters allegedly blocked the entrance to an emergency room at a Los Angeles hospital early Sunday morning where two police officers were being treated for gunshot wounds after an “ambush”, the sheriff’s office has claimed.
The two deputies suffered multiple gunshot wounds in what appears to have been an unprovoked, close-range attack through the passenger window of their patrol car in Compton on Saturday night, as Breitbart News reported.
The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy both underwent surgery Saturday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said.
Update: One male deputy and one female deputy were ambushed as they sat in their patrol vehicle. Both sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition. They are both currently undergoing surgery. The suspect is still at large.
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting, as have local leaders.
Trump retweeted the video early on Sunday and wrote, “Animals that must be hit hard!”
Later, referring to the deputies, Trump tweeted, “If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!”
Protesters quickly gathered outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood where the deputies were being treated, according to social media video and the sheriff’s department.
Footage released to Twitter captured the scene.
Black Lives Matter activists confront law enforcement at Los Angeles hospital where wounded officers were taken after they were shot.
“To their family: I hope they f**king die.”
pic.twitter.com/bPgatQZYRI— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 13, 2020
Police were quick to respond.
“To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling “We hope they die” referring to 2 LA Sheriff’s ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL,” the department wrote on Twitter around midnight local time.
A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody, KABC-TV reported. The sheriff’s department later tweeted the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester.
“The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person,” the department stated.
Capt. Kent Wegener said officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect seen on the video opening fire with a pistol.
“We have a very, very generic description,” he said.
AP contributed to this report
