Two California deputies in critical condition after ambush in Compton

“He walked along the passenger side of the car,” Wegener said. “He acted as if he was going to walk past the car. And then, he made a left turn directly toward the car, raised a pistol, and fired several rounds inside of the vehicle, striking both of the sheriff’s deputies.”

Surveillance video released by the department shows a man in dark clothing walking up to the parked police vehicle and firing into the passenger side window several times before fleeing.

Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva said one of the victims described the suspect as a “dark-skinned male.” At least 14 homicide detectives, alongside a bevy of LASD forensic specialists, K-9 units, and other personnel, are investigating the incident.

“That was a cowardly act,” Villanueva said. “The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train. To see somebody just walk up and start shooting on them, it pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time. There’s no pretty way to say it.”

Compton Mayor Aja Brown said she was “devastated to learn of the tragedy that occurred in our city tonight. Both deputies and their families will remain in our prayers.”

Both deputies were seriously injured and in critical condition after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. The deputies were taken into surgery on Saturday at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California.

The LASD has not released the names of the injured deputies, but the department described the injured parties as a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy. Both graduated from the sheriff’s academy in July 2019.

A crowd gathered at the hospital where the deputies were being treated. The crowd blocked the entrance to the hospital’s emergency room and chanted anti-law enforcement slogans, including yelling, “We hope they die.”

Deputies ordered the crowd to disperse and later arrested two people for obstruction, including Josie Huang, a reporter for the local NPR affiliate station.

In response to a video of the shooting, President Trump tweeted, “Animals that must be hit hard!”