A Los Angeles police officer on Saturday fatally shot a man who officials said was reaching for a policeman’s gun inside a Torrance, California hospital.
The shooting comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over police use of force in the wake of high-profile killings of unarmed black men, which have sparked waves of angry protests across the country since mid-2014.
Los Angeles Police Commander Phillip Tingirides told reporters the man had been taken on Saturday afternoon to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for treatment after his arrest earlier in the day.
Tingirides said witnesses reported the man as being calm and cooperative until the hospital was ready to release him, at which point he allegedly attacked officers and picked up a metal stool.
Tingirides said an attempt to subdue the man with a taser was unsuccessful. A witness told police the suspect then reached for an officer’s gun when the policeman fired the fatal shot, Tingirides said.
Medical staff on hand were unable to keep the man alive, Tingirides added.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Saturday’s killing was the police department’s 20th fatal shooting this year. The newspaper said the 26-year-old suspect was initially arrested for throwing bottles at an apartment building on Saturday morning.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-crime-idUSKBN0U300B20151220
Correct me if I am wrong, but, isn’t it kind of difficult for one facing you to quickly and successfully take a properly holstered weapon from the owner?
The weapon is facing the wrong way and if it has a proper snap strap to be undone and pull it out to the rear? Maybe Charlie Chan could do it but the average Joe could not. Shouldn’t the cop be trained in keeping an opponent from taking the weapon? It does not matter who dies as long as the officer goes home safely.
I just reread the last paragraph. Now throwing a bottle against a building with no property damage is an executable offense.
“… Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for treatment…”
Went there many times back in the ’80’s/90’s (BEFORE I knew the so-called ‘medical’ establishment is mostly a fraud), and I can tell you that the quality of ‘treatment’ there really sucked. It’s a county hospital that ‘serves’ a large area with a lot of non-insured people. It can be a nightmare at times, especially on weekends (more shootings, stabbings, bar fights, etc.), and you could easily go 5-6 hrs. or more before seeing a ‘doctor’.
As for the shooting… one more MURDER that the pig WON’T be prosecuted for.
I am SO glad to be out of that CA insanity!