Crime & Safety
Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputy Shot; Manhunt On For Suspect
The deputy, who was shot while stopped at a light, was saved by his bulletproof vest. Police are looking for a white van.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles County Sheriff deputy's bulletproof vest saved him Monday when he was shot in the back while stopped at a red light in West Covina, announced Sheriff Robert Luna.
The deputy was on his department motorcycle southbound on Barranca Street at Garvey Avenue when he was shot just before 3 p.m. A search is continuing for the suspect. Authorities are also looking for a white van with tinted windows last seen westbound on the 10 Freeway west of Barranca Street.
Authorities are urging witnesses to come forward.
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"Somebody saw something, and we need to get this person off the street," Luna says.
"Deputy Samuel Aispuro was on duty ... waiting at a red light on his marked LA County Sheriff's motorcycle in the southbound lanes of North Barranca Street at the intersection of East Garvey Avenue here in the city of West Covina when he was shot in the back," said Luna during a press conference. "I want to repeat that. He was sitting on a marked black and white police motorcycle in full uniform and he was shot in the back."
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Aispuro, a 20-year veteran of the department, has been hospitalized in stable condition. He is married with two children ages 4 and 2.
"The bulletproof vest he was wearing absolutely saved his life," Luna said.
Following the shooting, he put out an emergency call for help, prompting a massive police response. Authorities detained multiple "people of interest" in the La Puente area but have begun releasing them because they may not be involved in the incident Luna said.
He called the shooter "the worst of the worst."
"There is somebody out there armed with a firearm who shot one of our deputies in the back, and if he's willing to do that, I'm sure he's willing to shoot at anybody else," Luna said. "What kind of person shoots another person in the back?"
"We consider this individual to be a public safety risk at this point," he added.
Anyone with information about the vehicle and suspect is urged to call investigators at 323-890-5500.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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