2 L.A. County deputies 'ambushed' by shooter, reportedly 'fighting for their lives'

Police lights. — (Image credit: iStock.)

Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies — a 31-year-old female and a 24-year-old male — were shot Saturday night while sitting in their patrol vehicle in Compton, the department tweeted. Both deputies were reportedly left in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds and are "fighting for their lives" after undergoing surgery at a hospital in Lynwood.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Capt. Kent Wegener said during a briefing that the shooting took place at 7 p.m. local time. Wegener said the suspect approached the vehicle from behind, walked along the passenger side of the car, and shot multiple times, hitting both deputies. A video released by LASD appears to show the incident, which ended with the suspect running away. The search for the shooter, for whom investigators reportedly only have a "very, very generic description" provided by the male deputy, is still ongoing. Read more at CNN and KTLA.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.