Dec 26, 2006 4:31 pm US/Pacific
2 Shot Officers Remain Hospitalized
LONG BEACH, Calif. (CBS) ―
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The suspect in Friday's shooting -- once-deported felon Oscar Gabriel Gallegos, who had been living in the Long Beach area -- is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder in the shooting of officers Roy Wade, 39, and Abe Yap, 37.
CBS
Two Long Beach police officers who were shot during a traffic stop remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday, police said.
The suspect in Friday's shooting -- once-deported felon Oscar Gabriel Gallegos, who had been living in the Long Beach area -- is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder in the shooting of officers Roy Wade, 39, and Abe Yap, 37.
The officers stopped a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder near Long Beach Boulevard and Sixth Street for running a red light at about 1:20 p.m. Friday, and the driver got out of the SUV and opened fire on them while they were still sitting in the squad car, police Chief Anthony Batts said.
Yap was shot in the face. Wade, who had just finished his police academy training three weeks ago, was shot in the chest and neck.
An officer responding to the shooting did not wait for an ambulance, but drove Wade and Yap to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where both officers underwent surgery.
Meanwhile, the gunman eluded a massive search. Police found the white Pathfinder in a parking lot under an apartment building in the 200 block of Elm Avenue.
Contrary to initial reports, the bullet missed Yap's brain and his recovery prognosis is good.
Police said Gallegos is stocky, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 220 pounds, with tattooed arms.
"Mr. Gallegos, I want to make a plea to you and be very direct," the chief said at a news conference Saturday. "Turn yourself in, because we are coming for you. We are going to track you down. You cannot run far enough or long enough until we catch you."
Batts called Gallegos a "known thug" with a rap sheet dating back to 1990, when he was arrested for a firearms violation. He has also been arrested for drug offenses, making terrorist threats and assault with a deadly weapon.
He was deported in 1994 -- apparently to Mexico -- and possibly several other times, Batts said.
Batts said Gallegos has family members in the area and warned them that they would be prosecuted if they helped the suspect elude capture.
Anyone with more information on Gallegos was asked to call police at (562) 435-6711.
Anyone interested in sending a donation to aid the officers and their families can send them to: Widows and Orphans Fund, Long Beach Police Officers Association, 2865 Temple Ave., Long Beach, CA 90755.
(© 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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