SWAT officer shot: Alleged gunman ID’ed as motorcycle gang member
Pomona police and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials give updates on a Pomona SWAT officer shot while serving a search warrant in San Gabriel Oct. 28.
A gunman accused of shooting a Pomona police SWAT officer who was serving a search warrant has been identified by authorities as a 36-year-old member of a “dangerous†motorcycle gang.
David Martinez of Montebello was arrested during the pre-dawn hours Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held on $1-million bail. He’s due in court Thursday.
The SWAT officer, a 15-year law enforcement veteran who has spent half his career in Pomona, was shot while making entry into Martinez’s home about 2 a.m. in the 100 block of San Marino Avenue, authorities said.
The officer, who has not been identified is recovering in the intensive care unit at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.
Pomona police initially said the 45-year-old officer was struck in the face, but at a news conference later in the morning, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials would say only that he was hit in the upper torso. The Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation
The officer’s family has been flown from Orange County to the Pasadena hospital, officials said.
“We are hoping for the best,†Pomona Police Lt. Michael Keltner said. “He is very passionate about law enforcement… He’s a top notch guy.â€
Martinez’s father, who was at the small single-family home, was also struck in the arm by the gunfire, sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.
Officers did not return fire, Nishida said, adding that the investigation was still in its early stages.
The search warrant was being served as part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation into a motorcycle gang, which they also did not identify.
The shooting shocked the quiet neighborhood, where residents awoke to find a heavy police presence.
“This is unheard of,†said Delta Uyenoyama, a 20-year resident who lives near where the shooting occurred.
The shooting comes just days after two deputies, one each from the Sacramento County and Placer County sheriff’s departments, were killed during a six-hour rampage by a gunman in Northern California.
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA. She can be reached at [email protected]
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