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LA police officer fatally shoots man in hospital emergency room LA police officer fatally shoots man in hospital emergency room
(about 1 hour later)
A Los Angeles police officer fatally shot a vandalism suspect inside a hospital emergency room after the man reached for a gun during a struggle, authorities said Saturday. A man brought to a hospital after attacking police was shot dead by a Los Angeles officer in the emergency room after he swung a metal stool and grabbed for an officer’s gun, authorities said.
The man was brought to Harbor-UCLA medical center in Torrance to get checked out after he “viciously attacked” two officers sent to investigate reports of a man throwing bottles at an apartment complex and fighting with his neighbors at around 8am, commander Phil Tingirides said. Ruben José Herrera, 26, of Torrance, died on Saturday afternoon at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles, the county coroner’s office said on Sunday.
During the struggle, Tingirides said the man kicked and punched the officers and knocked a stun gun off one of the officers’ hands. More officers were called to the scene, and the man was eventually subdued. Authorities brought Herrera to the hospital to get checked out after he “viciously attacked” two officers sent to investigate reports of a man throwing bottles at an apartment complex and fighting with his neighbors on Saturday morning, police commander Phil Tingirides said.
When he was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the man was initially cooperative with two other officers assigned to take him into custody. During the initial struggle, Herrera kicked and punched the officers and knocked a stun gun out of one officer’s hand, Tingirides said. More officers were called, and they subdued Herrera.
Tingirides said the man was handcuffed to a gurney, and when the officers briefly took them off he picked up a metal chair and began swinging it. When he was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Herrera was initially cooperative with two officers assigned to take him into custody.
Nurses and doctors in the emergency room told investigators one of the officers tried to subdue the man with a stun gun, but it wasn’t effective. The witnesses said when the man tried to reach for one of the officer’s gun, his partner fired one round and struck him. He was handcuffed to a gurney, Tingirides said. After medical staff cleared Herrera to be taken to jail, officers briefly unshackled him from the gurney to handcuff him again for transport, Lieutenant John Jenal said.
The hospital staff immediately began to treat his gunshot wound, but he died in the emergency room, Tingirides said. That was when the man picked up the metal stool and began swinging it, Tingirides said.
The man’s name was not immediately released. Nurses and doctors in the emergency room told investigators that one of the officers tried to subdue the man with a stun gun, but it wasn’t effective. When Herrera tried to reach for an officer’s gun, the officer’s partner shot him, the witnesses said.
“One round was fired,” Tingirides said.
The hospital staff immediately began to treat Herrera’s gunshot wound, but he died in the emergency room, Tingirides said.