LAPD: Officer Pistol-Whipped After Suspect Entered Harbor Division Station, Grabbed Gun
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Several emergency responders and police officers were gathered outside the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division station on Saturday night after an officer-involved shooting.
City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents the 15th council district, initially told CBS2 that the officer was grazed in the head, but LAPD Chief Michel Moore later clarified that the officer was treated at UCLA Medical Center for injuries from being pistol-whipped.
According to police, the suspect entered the Harbor Division station on Saturday night, had an altercation with an officer, and was eventually able to get a hold of an officer's gun and fired rounds, but none hit.
Moore says despite coronavirus restrictions, a door was possibly left propped open at the station, which is how the suspect got inside.
Another officer was able to shoot at the suspect, who was not hit, and an officer is believed to have been pistol-whipped during the ordeal.
An unidentified suspect described only as a Hispanic man about 29 years old, was taken into custody in connection with the incident, according to the LAPD.
Buscaino told CBS2 he was accompanying the officer at the hospital and said the incident was a "reminder of the danger of police work in our city, in our state, in our region."
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shared in a tweet that his office is "closely monitoring the situation" and sending best wishes to the injured officer.
Sending my best wishes for a quick and full recovery to our @LAPDHQ officer injured in an incident at the Harbor Station tonight. The officer is in stable condition and we're closely monitoring the situation.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) September 27, 2020
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is currently investigating a shooting against two of its deputies in Compton, also sent out their thoughts.
Our thoughts are with the officer @LapdHarborDiv who was in an Officer-Involved Shooting tonight.
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 27, 2020
Chief Michel Moore went to the hospital to visit the officer, who was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries at last check.
Moore said in a tweet that the officer was "resting and will be ok. Bumps and bruises. He was not shot."
The officer's name was not released but CBS2 is told he has three decades of law enforcement experience.
The investigation is ongoing and the LAPD stresses that the information related to the incident is still preliminary.
More details will be provided as they are made available.
Please check back for updates.