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LA cop pistol-whipped by attacker who entered police station and snatched his gun, suspect held after chase

The cop, who has been with the department for nearly thirty years, is expected to recover soon from head injuries

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: An attack on an on-duty police officer left him injured in the head after an assailant entered the Harbor Division police station in San Pedro, authorities said. The attack reportedly happened before 10 in the night on Saturday, September 26, in the lobby of the Harbor Station, situated at 2175 John S. Gibson Blvd.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said during a press conference that the wounded officer, whose name has not been revealed, was soon taken to UCLA Medical Center after he suffered pistol-whipped injuries. The cop, who has been with the department for nearly thirty years, is expected to recover soon. “Some individual came into the Harbor station, and when an officer went to speak with him, some type of confrontation occurred where we believe an officer was disarmed,” Moore stated, while LAPD headquarter tweeted, “We can confirm that there has been an Officer-Involved Shooting at LAPD’s Harbor Station. A Public Information Officer is responding, and we will provide more details as they become available.”

Assistant Police Chief Horace Frank said when a watch commander heard the disturbance in the lobby, he went to check and found that the suspect was hitting the officer and had also taken his gun. The watch commander immediately took action and fired at the assailant, who fled in a car with a second man. It has been said that the accused did not suffer any injury due to the firing. After a chase, he was arrested.

“The officer involved in this incident was transported to a local hospital and is receiving medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect involved in this incident is in custody. This is preliminary information, as this is an active and ongoing investigation,” updated LAPD on its official Twitter page.

According to reports, the doors of the LAPD stations’ lobbies have been kept close amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier, they used to be open 24/7, 365 days a year for the public. Moore said the door was likely left open or ajar, giving the suspect the chance to enter. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also shared a tweet showing his support to the injured officer as he wrote: “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.”

But his tweet was taken in a bad light by some online users with one writing, “Can you send a similar message to this crippled man in a wheel chair that your LAPD shot in the head for literally nothing? Unarmed. What was he going to do roll over the cops? Where is his apology? And the other protesters shot for no reason. Seems fair to wish them well.” Another commented: “Have you ever once said anything useful to those who had loved ones ripped away from them by @LAPDHQ? Spineless coward.”

“I wish you were capable of this level of concern about your constituents who have been attacked by LAPD and LASD officers,” said a third user.