Whittier police thought they were helping a driver after a car crash.
Then, they say, he pulled a gun.
Officers Keith Lane Boyer and Patrick Hazell didn't know that the motorist allegedly had killed his cousin hours earlier in neighboring East Los Angeles and stolen his car.
"They walked up on the vehicle believing the motorist was in need of medical help and then they ended up in a gunfight for their lives," Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.
Monday morning's shootout killed Boyer. It left Hazell and the suspected gunman hospitalized and the Los Angeles suburb in shock.
Boyer was "the best of the best," Police Chief Jeff Piper said at an afternoon news conference. He wept as he described his friend of more than 25 years.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-newly-freed-gang-member-killed-california-officer-072128225.html
Then, they say, he pulled a gun.
Officers Keith Lane Boyer and Patrick Hazell didn't know that the motorist allegedly had killed his cousin hours earlier in neighboring East Los Angeles and stolen his car.
"They walked up on the vehicle believing the motorist was in need of medical help and then they ended up in a gunfight for their lives," Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.
Monday morning's shootout killed Boyer. It left Hazell and the suspected gunman hospitalized and the Los Angeles suburb in shock.
Boyer was "the best of the best," Police Chief Jeff Piper said at an afternoon news conference. He wept as he described his friend of more than 25 years.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-newly-freed-gang-member-killed-california-officer-072128225.html