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Protesters chant 'hope they die' outside hospital where deputies injured in Compton shooting remain critical

A tweet from the LA County Sheriff's Office' official Twitter account stated that protesters were blocking the entrance and exit of the hospital emergency room while chanting 'we hope they die'

Two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were shot multiple times at point-blank range in an ambush with an unidentified suspect are battling to stay alive, according to authorities. The La County Sheriff's Office had tweeted about the crime shortly after and police say that the entrance to St Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, where wounded officers were in a critical condition, was blocked by hordes of protesters.

In one of the follow-up tweets, LA County Sheriff's Office also tweeted that some of the protesters were chanting "hope they die". "To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling 'We hope they die' referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL. People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through," the department's tweet read. 

We had reported earlier that the shooting happened at around 7 pm on Saturday, September 12, at the Metro Blue Line station at Willowbrook Avenue and Compton Boulevard, not far from the Compton Sheriff's station. The LA County Sheriff’s office shared the news of this crime on their official Twitter page. "Moments ago, 2 of our Sheriff Deputies were shot in Compton and were transported to a local hospital. They are both still fighting for their lives, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We will update this thread with information as it becomes available,” read the tweet.

The department also shared the video of the incident in a follow-up tweet showing a person open fire through the passenger-side window of the patrol car in Compton. The deputies present at the hospital issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of protesters and confirmed that they booked a male and a female protestor for resisting arrest.

"#LASD Century Sheriff’s Station Watch Commander reports the following: After deputies issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of a group of protesters blocking the hospital emergency entrance & exits, a male adult protester refused to comply & cooperate…"

"During his arrest, a struggle ensued at which time a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest…"

"The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person. Both individuals have been arrested for 148 P.C."

Sheriff Alex Villanueva addressed the press on Saturday, September 12, night to provide an update on the injured officers urging people to pray for the 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy. He also expressed his disappointment over what he said was a growing trend of unprovoked attacks on police amid rising anti-police sentiment.

His department has come under fire during recent protests over racial injustice, according to Newsweek. "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." He added: "Seeing 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."

When news of the protesters entering the hospital broke on Twitter, a lot of people chimed in to pour their support for the injured officers but there were also some tweets suggesting that the department was exagerrating the situation. One Twitter user wrote, "I’ve deleted my previous retweet from @LASDHQ claiming a large number of protesters were blocking the entrance to the hospital. That is a gross mischaracterization. In reality, there were less than 10 people standing on the public sidewalk. #LASD #Compton."

Another user, sharing the above tweet, wrote, "They’re acting like hundreds of people are chanting and supporting this. The LAPD is complicit in the escalation of tenet ion in the community and are responsible if people riot due to their words and actions. Look at the reality in the ground."

Another user blamed the department for spreading propaganda, "So if they yell 'we hope they live' but block the emergency entries and exits, it’s cool? Seems weird you would get specific like that to just make awareness about other emergencies not being able to get through. Do your job, not propaganda."