A suspect was arrested on Monday in connection to the fatal shooting of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer over the weekend.
Kevin Salazar, 29, was detained in the morning following an hours-long standoff at the suspect’s residence in Palmdale, California, Sheriff Robert Luna announced in a press conference.
“We are extremely confident we have the right person in custody,” Luna said, adding that he did not believe there were any other suspects, though he noted that the investigation is ongoing ahead of an expected prosecution. A motive was not immediately known.
Authorities said Clinkunbroomer, 30, was “ambushed” on Saturday evening while driving in his cruiser near the Palmdale sheriff’s station.
A “Good Samaritan” discovered him unconscious in his vehicle and contacted Palmdale station personnel, after which Clinkunbroomer was transported to Antelope Valley Medical Center, where staff worked to treat the deputy for a gunshot wound but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
#BREAKING: Kevin Salazar, 29, surrendered after a standoff at his home in Palmdale this morning, Sheriff Luna said. https://t.co/1rzCMuFApg pic.twitter.com/XLeCreQV7J
— KTLA (@KTLA) September 18, 2023
Luna said on Monday that “courageous” members of the community helped authorities track down the suspect, part of a roughly 36-hour search that included a look-out for a dark grey 2006-2012 Toyota Corolla and a $250,000 reward for information.
The sheriff said the standoff began after deputies surrounded the suspect’s home and called for people to exit, after which family members vacated, but Salazar remained inside. The standoff, which lasted for hours and included efforts to negotiate, ended with the suspect surrendering and being taken into custody “peacefully” after authorities deployed chemical agents, Luna added.
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Luna said investigators discovered multiple firearms and the vehicle of interest. The sheriff also said investigators will present their evidence to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and he expects prosecutors to “aggressively pursue” this case.
🔹 Blessed Are The Peacemakers 🔹
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Clinkunbroomer
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California
End of Watch: Saturday, September 16, 2023#EnoughIsEnough #OfficerDown #EOW #ThinBlueLine pic.twitter.com/wRZvJbPn7C
— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) September 18, 2023
Clinkunbroomer was an eight-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department. He leaves behind loved ones.
“Ryan is not coming home, and Ryan wasn’t only a Deputy Sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, but he was a son, grandson, and newly engaged. He had so much ahead of him,” Luna said in a statement over the weekend.