'Deputies Down': Big Reward Offered in LA Shooting

2 Los Angeles County officers are expected to survive; reporter arrested during protests
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 14, 2020 10:10 AM CDT
2 Deputies Shot Point-Blank Expected to Survive
A screen grab from a security camera video shows a gunman walking up to sheriff's deputies and opening fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Saturday.   (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP)

The search continues for the gunman who shot two Los Angeles County deputies at close range over the weekend, and authorities hope a new incentive will help. The county sheriff's department has announced a $100,000 reward, reports NBC News. Surveillance video shows that the gunman walked up to a parked police car Saturday night in Compton and opened fire without provocation. Coverage:

  • Will survive: Both deputies were shot in the head but are expected to survive, reports the Los Angeles Times. One is a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy, and the other is a 24-year-old male. Both were sworn in 14 months ago from the same training class.

  • The call: One deputy managed to call in the shooting, saying "998 Compton Pax" and "Compton Pax, deputies down" in a nearly unintelligible voice, according to the LAT. Extended video seen by the newspaper shows a deputy stumbling out of the passenger door, holding his or her head. The driver's door also opens.
  • Shooter: He's described as a dark-skinned male around 28 to 30, per CBS Los Angeles. Authorities caution that the video's fisheye lens presents a distorted picture. The shooter fled on foot around a corner.
  • Reporter arrested: A journalist who works for public radio station KPCC and LAist was arrested covering protests outside the hospital where the deputies were taken, reports Deadline. Police accused Josie Huang of obstructing justice and not having proper credentials, and at least five deputies pinned her to the ground during the arrest. Images show that Huang was, in fact, wearing credentials abound her neck.
  • Her account: Huang has a first-person account of the arrest here, complete with videos. She says she was filming an arrest when taken into custody. NPR is backing her up, saying it is "appalled" by her arrest.
  • The chants, politics: Huang reports that protesters were taunting police, and the sheriff's department says some were yelling, "We hope they die" about the wounded officers. The conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal sees that sentiment as "a cultural poison nurtured by the left-wing anti-police movement sweeping the country."
(More Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stories.)

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