Officer pistol-whipped with his own gun inside a Los Angeles police station, cops say
A visitor to a Los Angeles police station Saturday night wrested a gun from an officer, pistol-whipped him with it and exchanged gunfire with another officer, police say.
A man entered the Harbor Division station in San Pedro about 10 p.m. and asked to speak to an officer, KCBS reported. After an officer came out to the lobby, an altercation broke out.
The visitor grabbed the officer’s firearm and shot at him, but missed, KNBC reported. A watch commander inside the station exchanged gunfire with the man, but neither was hit.
The original officer was hospitalized with injuries consistent with being pistol-whipped, according to the station.
“I am grateful that the officer who was in this incident tonight was working the desk, who came out to assist this individual, to understand what his needs were, that he survived and that during this engagement, he did not lose his life,” said Chief Michael Moore, KCBS reported.
Moore wrote on Twitter that the officer suffered “bumps and bruises” in the attack. He’s expected to recover.
The attacker drove off in a white pickup truck, but other officers gave chase and arrested him after a short scuffle a few minutes later, CNN reported. Police did not release the man’s name.
The lobbies of Los Angeles police stations are locked as a coronavirus prevention measure, but the door to the San Pedro station may have been left propped open, KNBC reported.
