A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy shot a man early Thursday in Bell Gardens in an incident that left bullet holes in the man’s vehicle and signs a patrol cruiser had been rammed.
The deputy shot the man about 4:30 a.m. during a traffic incident at Florence and Eastern avenues, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
The wounded man was taken to a hospital by paramedics. Sheriff’s officials did not provide any further details of the events leading up to the gunfire, whether the man was armed or what threat he posed to the deputy.
The deputy suffered an unspecified injury and was taken to a hospital, the Sheriff’s Department said.
News helicopter footage of the scene at daylight showed a Sheriff’s Department SUV with a clearly smashed driver-side door, indicating a collision. A white sport utility vehicle driven by the wounded man had visible bullet holes in the front windshield and the rear windows blown out. Both vehicles were a considerable distance apart, suggesting a collision prior to the shooting.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate the shooting along with the inspector general’s investigators Thursday morning.