4 Cops Injured By Intoxicated Suspects In The South Bay

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Four Hermosa Beach police officers were injured over the weekend while arresting suspects believed to be intoxicated, authorities said.

The injuries happened over the course of five days during the Halloween weekend, according to the Hermosa Beach Police Department.

In total, the weekend patrols resulted in two DUI arrests, 43 citations for driving under the influence, public intoxication and other offenses in the city, Police Chief Paul LeBaron said in a statement Tuesday.

The first officer was injured on Oct. 27, when a driver in a head-on collision on Hermosa Avenue tried to grab the officer’s gun.

"The suspect was believed to be intoxicated, but HBPD is awaiting toxicology results to determine that for certain," LeBaron said. "The officer suffered serious enough injuries that he is unable to work this week."

In the second instance, two HBPD officers witnessed a vehicle crash in Parking Lot A Saturday night and arrested the driver on suspicion of DUI, LeBaron said.

"The driver then assaulted the two officers in the HBPD jail," LeBaron said.

The driver was taken to the hospital where he is suspected of assaulting a third HBPD officer, police said.

"The suspect punched two of the officers in the face and kicked the other officer," LeBaron said. "The officers suffered injuries but not serious enough to require them to stay home from work."

On Thursday night, two suspects charged with public intoxication threatened two officers after the suspects had physical and verbal confrontations with other Downtown patrons in Parking Lot A, police said.

“We are deeply concerned about the threats and assaults on our officers over a five-day period and the danger these suspects posed to the public,” LeBaron said.

“The city is fortunate to have a city prosecutor who is aggressive in holding law breakers accountable," LeBaron said. "We see that overconsumption of alcohol continues to create serious problems in our downtown area and threaten the safety of the public and our officers. A comprehensive approach to changing the culture of late-night alcohol consumption must be a community effort.”

In another case on Saturday, a driver charged with DUI was also charged with a hit-and-run collision that sheared off a fire hydrant at the intersection of Manhattan Avenue and Pier Avenue, near Downtown Hermosa Beach. The driver's name was not released.

"Our officers are being pro-active in their enforcement, resulting in more citations and arrests,” LeBaron said.

“In many cases, officers witness the incidents and respond before dispatchers contact them," he added. "We are helping to keep a lid on alcohol-related incidents, but we have stretched our enforcement as much as we can."

Deploying officers in the downtown area also means fewer officers are available in other parts of the city, LeBaron said.

"We will continue to work with our downtown businesses to encourage responsible alcohol consumption to help make Downtown a more welcoming retail, dining and entertainment destination and protect our officers, visitors and resident," LeBaron said.

From Thursday through Sunday, HBPD reported the following incidents citywide:

• Two DUI arrests.
• Five public intoxication arrests. HBPD officers also identified one juvenile who was publicly intoxicated and turned her over to her parents without filing charges.
• 21 alcohol-related citations (open container of alcohol and consuming alcohol in public) and six alcohol-related arrests (public nuisance and consuming alcohol in public).
• One arrest for bicycle theft Friday night. The suspect had multiple burglary tools.
• The arrest of a shoplifting suspect who had other outstanding warrants.
• The arrest of a suspect who was seen vandalizing a business property with graffiti.
• A suspect stole an electric bicycle at gunpoint from a teen walking along Ardmore Avenue on Sunday night. The suspect fled on the bicycle along Pacific Coast Avenue. HBPD is seeking the suspect and any information the public can provide regarding the theft.
• An assault in Parking Lot A after both parties had been ejected from a bar for a verbal altercation.
• Two stolen vehicles.
• An unlocked vehicle was entered, credit cards were stolen and purchases were made.
• A wallet was stolen from a purse in a shopping cart, and credit cards from the purse were used to make purchases.

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