Weekend Assaults on LAPD Officers

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department officers were assaulted with guns in three separate incidents in Watts, Sunday evening. Officers fired at suspects in two of the incidents, hitting one gunman.

“The situation was very chaotic,” said LAPD spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon. “Within a span of 90 minutes, our officers were shot at twice and had a gun pointed at them in a third incident. It shows the dangers that confront officers on a daily basis.”

The first incident occurred around 5 PM while officers from the Southeast Police Station were monitoring a gathering of 200 gang members at the Rosecrans Recreation Park, 800 block of West 149th Street. Local residents had reported the gathering to police.

Three officers assigned to the gang unit, noticed one male Black holding his waistband and running from the officers. Two of the officers chased the man through a gymnasium, amid a crowd of people. When the suspect turned and pointed a .357 magnum revolver at police, Officer Jeffrey Bright, 34, fired several rounds.

The gunman, a 16 year-old juvenile, was wounded and taken to a local hospital in serious condition. Police recovered the revolver at the scene. The juvenile will face charges of attempted murder of a police officer.

While tending to the juvenile, officers came under fire from another location in the park. They did not return fire, and no one was injured. Two other men were later arrested on parole charges and a juvenile warrant, but neither were directly linked to the shots fired at the officers.

Within ninety minutes of the first shooting, in a separate incident, two patrol officers heard shots fired near 103rd Street and Grape Street, then saw a silver GMC Envoy speeding toward them. The officers followed the SUV to an alley near Croesus Avenue, where the SUV slowed and two passengers ran out in separate directions.

Officer Jon Aufdemberg, 38, chased one of the men into the alley, where the suspect tried to scale a fence. The suspect did not follow the officer's orders to stop and climb down from the fence, instead the suspect pointed a handgun at Officer Aufdemberg, who fired. The suspect did not fire, but ran north, over a fence, toward Lou Dillon Avenue.

Meanwhile, the SUV drove away, and officers lost sight of the second passenger who had run from the SUV. Despite a perimeter and exhaustive search with police dogs, neither suspect nor gun was found.

The SUV was found a short time later in the Imperial Courts Housing Development, 11500 block of Mona Avenue. The rental vehicle had been stolen at gunpoint earlier in the evening while its driver was stopped at a stop sign at 105th Street and Wilmington Avenue. Two robbers had been armed with military-style rifles, and they drove away from the carjacking with two more accomplices.

Detectives found expended casings to a 7.62 mm assault weapon in the street at 102nd Street and Grape Street, the vicinity where the officers had heard gunfire prior to seeing the SUV.

Force Investigation Division is conducting the investigation into the two, unrelated officer-involved shootings.  Southeast Area Detectives are investigating the crimes committed against the involved officers.

The South Los Angeles Bureau of the LAPD was placed on tactical alert for several hours as additional personnel were needed from multiple divisions to address the incidents, and handle other calls for service.

Police Officer Jon Aufdemberg is assigned to the Southeast Police Station and has been with the LAPD for 11 years.

Police Officer Jeffrey Bright has been with the LAPD for 8 years.

Comments

[RCCop466]

Wow! This blog has become an excellent opportunity for the officers of the LAPD to communicate with the public about the stuff they have to go through! I commend those officers for doing their duty and putting themselves at risk, excuse me, HIGH risk. It takes alot to go to work everyday and deal with such violence and then to react to it with dedication and professionalism. Most people would simply "breakdown" if they knew everyday could end up the way this one did. Good Job!

[Rick]

I commend all the honest, hard-working officers of the LAPD. U guys/gals have a tough job and not enough community backing when it comes to enforcing the law the way it needs to be enforced! As a former police officer in the L.A. County area, I can relate to your frustration. It is no longer a fun job anymore as it was in the early 80's thru early 90's. Stay safe all.

[David Shaffer]

I commend my fellow brothers and sisters in blue. Yes the public needs to hear more about what we go through every day trying to serve the community. Keep your heads up and know that the job you do is very important and there are alot of people who still appreciate you all!! May God bless each and every one of you!!

[ed]

Officer Diaz did a great job in catching an armed gang member, who fled as the Officers arrived on scene. He chased him and exchanged gun fire in a dark alley, which also adds to his bravery! Yet I guarantee that some boot licker is going to recommend that Officer Diaz get training for, God forbid, chasing an armed predator who would have killed someone! The upper brass, including Bratton, should be forced by policy to join an aggressive Police Officer in South Central once a month so they don't forget what it's like to actually police! Some of them need to be trained, because they have NEVER been a real Police Officer and now they are making the decisions! That way they can see what it's like first hand instead of waxing intellectual about it in a use of force review board. Those boards have some very qualified people in there, but they're the exception not the rule. This will be a NEWS FLASH to the boot lickers, POLICE OFFICERS CHASE BAD PEOPLE that don't respond to excuse me sir, could you please stop, I am a Police Officer and I would really like it if you would stop, now. And I don't want to hear about an Officer dying with his radio in his hand because he had to hold a gun, flashlight and his radio. Shocker, sometimes Officers, in exigent and active situations need to minimize what they are carrying! And add another gun to the equation and you have a full and fluid situation that changes on a dime and you do not have the luxury to stop in a dark alley, call time out, and dial SWAT on your cell phone to get a recommendation of, hhmmmmm, what should I do? All SWAT coppers worth their salt would do the very same thing that an aggressive Officer like officer Diaz did. If you have eyes on an armed suspect that you are chasing you have a duty to catch or stop them before they kill an innocent civilian, right Chief? Any Officer that would not chase a gunman should turn in their badge and gun RIGHT NOW!
Ask yourself if Officer Diaz is the Officer you want coming to your house when you call the Police? I hope the answer is yes, because you can bet the bank that he is going to make sure your family is safe! Or would you rather an Officer takes his time and hopes that the suspect is gone before he gets there. Or even worse you've been killed? People of Los Angeles, we need to publicly recognize our Officers Like Officer Diaz so we send the right message to them, the brass of the LAPD and the predators! The only time our Chief or the Mayor gets behind the Officers is when one dies or they have stuck the politically wet finger in the air and found which way the wind is blowing!
Los Angeles we need to fight this fight together and that means we need to send a message to the Police department and the elected officials! That message is ENOUGH! We want our Officers to be backed when they chase people that with to do us harm! And FORCE them to honestly answer the only question that is meaningful." Are we as safe as we can be?" The answer right now is, NO. Because we have a politically appointed position as Chief! Which means we, as a Police Department and a city, LOOSE! Bratton still has potential, but he needs to be a Profile in Courage, and do what's not popular with the socialist Mayor and the likes of Maxine waters (wow, she's a complete joke) and John Mack, to make this city safe again! Enough of the status quo! All it requires is backing your Police Officers and actually being tough on criminals. Some of that straight talk and action he used when he first got here, is what is needed, and needed fast.
Good job Officer Diaz, keep up the great work.
To Officer Diaz and the rest of the real Police Officers out there, STAY SAFE!

PS: That's stay safe from the criminals and the Brass!

PSS: I am for the right of law abiding citizens to carry weapon, that would make the criminals think twice! After all this is the USA, not China!

[ivan]

the media NEEDS to show the good side of the LAPD theres to much b.s on the media these days on lapd officers that risk their lifes every day to keep us save from criminals that roam the streets every day!to many times ive seen stories on officers killed in the line of duty because the officers hesitate to shoot i think is time to SHUT UP AND SHOOT.and deal with the legal system later......the guys are doing a great job!keep your heads up and stay safe!

[TK]

I hope the shooting review board lives in reality. To many horror stories from the past. Examples of questions asked in the past. Who taugh you to chase a felony suspect? Why didn't you wait for back up, get an air unit, surround the area and then attempt to take the suspect in custody? Did you lock and secure your vehicle?

[Elizabeth Lascheid]

I am so tired of our officers being attacked, shot at and hurt. Something has to give and it seems the media is not reporting much. The public should be up in arms. When thugs start using the police as target practice no one is safe. We should and must stand behind our officers.

[R gill]

When I was a kid you respected cops. Now young people dont respect cops, teachers, their parents or anyone else.

What happened?

[Charlette Rodgers Starkey]

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