The incident began in Duarte at Ivory Drive and Galen Street around 1:20 a.m. when the gang detail tried to pull over two men in a car. One of them was allegedly armed with an assault weapon.
A short pursuit ensued, and the driver crashed into a curb on the 2400 block of El Toro Road in an unincorporated area near Duarte. Authorities say the suspect then rammed his car into the deputy's cruiser and brandished the weapon at the deputies. That's when the shooting occurred.
Both suspects, aged 24 and 36, were rushed to the hospital. The 24-year-old suspect was treated and released and is now behind bars. The 36-year-old suspect remains hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
No deputies were injured. A weapon was recovered at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
The shooting comes days after a string of three shootings in the area. Two of the shootings were fatal.
The first shooting claimed the life of 18-year-old Malcolm Mency. The young father was gunned down as he walked home from work. Just hours later, a 45-year-old man was shot but not seriously injured just a few blocks away. Two days later, 16-year-old Christian Rossi was shot and killed behind his apartment complex in Duarte. Authorities are investigating if the three shootings are connected and if they may be gang-related.
The violence has residents concerned.
"I'm hoping it's just an isolated incident, a cluster. That's why I want everyone to come together to show their support and say we can move passed this and we can honor these young men," said Garrett Johnson, who organized the vigil.
