The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday that a suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with a horrific ambush attack that left two L.A. Sheriff’s deputies seriously wounded.
The Sheriff’s Department announced, at a press conference Wednesday afternoon, that charges were filed against 36-year-old Deonte Lee Murray, and that he was taken into custody following a “standoff” in Lynwood, California, more than a week ago. At the time, Murray was a suspect in a carjacking, the Los Angeles Times reports, and it was only later that the Sheriff’s office discovered his connection to the September 12th shooting.
NBC Los Angeles reported last week that “multiple law enforcement sources say detectives in Lynwood are increasingly confident that a suspected carjacker, who led Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies on a high-speed chase Tuesday is connected with last weekend’s attack on two transit patrol deputies who were shot while seated in a patrol car in Compton.”
“After an hourslong search [Murray] was arrested after being found inside a trash can with the assistance of a K9 unit, the sheriff’s department said in a nighttime news conference,” NBC continued. “Murray has no known address but is known to frequent the area and is considered a local, the department said, and he was wanted for a carjacking performed on Sept. 1 using a high-powered rifle.”
“Murray, who was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, was charged at the time with one felony count each of carjacking, second-degree robbery, and assault with a semiautomatic firearm,” the outlet says. “The charges include allegations of association with a criminal street gang, discharging a rifle inflicting great bodily injury and personal use of an AR-15.”
The shocking attack, captured on surveillance video, commanded national attention.
The video shows a suspect, now alleged to be Murray, opening fire on two L.A. Sheriff’s deputies — one male and one female — while the pair sat in their squad car outside of a public transportation hub in the city’s Compton neighborhood.
Both deputies were left severely wounded in the ambush attack. The female, a 31-year-old mother of one, suffered a gunshot wound to her face and arm. Her partner, a 24-year-old man, suffered several shots to his arms. The female deputy could be seen on the surveillance footage giving emergency aid to her partner while the pair waited for help.
As the two deputies were undergoing emergency surgery at a nearby hospital, anti-police protesters stationed themselves at hospital entrances and exits, L.A. Sheriff’s Department officials said at the time. At one point, the protesters had to be prevented from storming the hospital’s emergency room, and at least one protester was heard chanting, “We hope they die.”
Both are now reportedly doing well and have been released from care.
Early on in the investigation, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department admitted that the surveillance footage did not give them a clear picture of the shooter — it showed only a taller man in dark clothing. They offered a six-figure reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.