Apr 1, 2008 9:45 am US/Pacific
Off-Duty Deputy Shoots Man, 19, On 105 Freeway
LOS ANGELES
An off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Tuesday shot and injured a 19-year-old Inglewood man who confronted him with a knife alongside the eastbound 105 Freeway near Hawthorne, officials said.
The suspect, who was taken to a hospital in stable condition, was shot at 8 a.m. near Crenshaw Boulevard, Deputy Oscar Butao of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau said. The deputy, who has reportedly been with the department for nine years, was unhurt.
The eastbound freeway was closed at Crenshaw Boulevard while an investigation was conducted, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The deputy, who was driving an unmarked car, pulled over to the right shoulder to inspect his car after he was nearly hit several times by the suspect, sheriff's officials said.
"As he did that, the suspect pulled off also, parking in front of the deputy's vehicle, and the suspect got out of his vehicle, pulled a knife out of his waistband and attempted to assault the deputy," sheriff's Sgt. John Hocking told reporters.
"The deputy told the suspect to step back, that he was a deputy sheriff," Hocking said. "The suspect did not, and at that point the deputy was forced to fire his on-duty weapon at the suspect, striking the suspect."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
