Dec 23, 2006 8:00 pm US/Pacific
2 Officers Critically Wounded In Shootout
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) ―
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Two Long Beach police officers were shot Friday. A suspect is in custody and police are looking for other suspects.
CBS
A rookie Long Beach police officer and a training officer were fighting for their lives after being critically wounded in an exchange of gunfire, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at 1:19 p.m. Friday near Sixth Street and Long Beach Boulevard, said Long Beach police Sgt. David Marander.
"Today about 1:20 p.m., two of my officers did a car stop on a vehicle," Police Chief Anthony W. Batts said. "The gentleman exited from the vehicle and fired. The officers returned fire."
"They're putting up a good fight. They're fighting a good battle. They're doing a good job. They are stable at this time," he said.
He said both officers, who were not identified, received multiple gunshot wounds.
"It was just a car stop for probably a traffic violation. We're looking for one outstanding suspect that I mentioned. The officers exited the vehicle, they were approaching the vehicle. We do not know if the suspect was hit at this point in time."
He said the suspect vehicle was in a white 1998 Nissan Pathfinder with the California license plate 4AVN056.
The suspect, he said, was a stocky male Hispanic or Filipino in his late 20s or early 30s with a shaved head, and tattoos on both arms.
He is 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, 210 to 220 pounds.
Mayor Bob Foster described it as "a very bad day for the city of Long Beach."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families," he said. "We all hope and pray that the officers will make a full recovery."
Following the shooting, the backup officer did not wait for ambulance, but drove his wounded colleagues to Long Beach Memorial Hospital in a patrol car.
The rookie had been on the job for two or three weeks, according to media reports. After more than two hours of surgery, doctors gave him a 60 to 70 percent chance of living, the newspaper reported.
The veteran officer, on the force for at least eight years, was struck once in the head, according to media reports. Doctors found fragments of bone or glass in his brain.
Officers searched for the shooter en force, temporarily setting up a perimeter and combing the area with helicopters.
Anyone with additional information was asked to call (562) 435-6711.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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