Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is calling out LeBron James personally to take action on behalf of the police.
Over the weekend, two deputies, a 31-year-old female and a 24-year-old male, were sitting in their squad car at a Metro rail station in Compton when a suspect walked up and opened fire through an open window on the passenger side. The deputies were able to radio for help. The department tweeted a video of the shooting that shows a person opening fire with a pistol.
On Monday, the sheriff asked LeBron to match the reward money that’s already on the table to help find the shooter.
Villanueva, whose department has been criticized during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies.
“It pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time,” he said.
A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated and tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point were prevented from entering the emergency room.
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“Unacceptable behavior. The hospital should be a sanctuary, we should leave hospitals alone,” he said. Mendez and members of his group gathered nearby in prayer for the wounded deputies.
Protesters have railed against the LA Sheriff’s Department for weeks over recent shootings by deputies, including the killing of a man on a bicycle last month.
