Suspect Wounded In Officer-Involved Shooting
Undercover Detective Shot And Wounded Suspect
Aug 20, 2004 6:17 pm US/Pacific
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) An undercover detective shot and wounded a man during a struggle for the officer's gun Friday, police said.
The plainclothes investigator was working on an identity theft detail when he saw a man taking items out of a trash can shortly before 7 a.m., police said.
Authorities say discarded mail sometimes can yield personal information to thieves.
The detective identified himself as a police officer and asked for identification so he could cite the man for stealing from a trash bin, according to a police statement.
The man became angry and grabbed a radio and then a cell phone out of the officer's hands and ripped a chain badge from his neck.
A fight ensued during which the detective felt the man trying to remove his gun from his holster, police said.
The detective managed to roll over so the man couldn't get the gun and then kicked the man away. When the man again charged the detective, who was on the ground, the investigator fired a gunshot that hit him in the lower torso, police said.
Johnny Brooks, 30, of Compton, was treated at a hospital and booked for investigation of felony assault on a police officer and three misdemeanor warrants.
The detective, a 22-year veteran, was treated for cuts, scrapes and bruises.