By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Francisco Vara-Orta and Andrew Blankstein
The Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — An off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday shot and wounded a driver who allegedly brandished a knife after the two men pulled over on the 105 Freeway in Hawthorne, authorities said.
Officials closed all eastbound lanes from Crenshaw Boulevard to Hoover Street for nearly four hours to investigate the incident, which occurred as the deputy, a nine-year veteran, was driving home after a night shift training deputies at the nearby Lennox station, said sheriff’s Sgt. John Hocking.
The deputy, driving his personal vehicle, a dark sedan, entered the freeway at the Hawthorne Boulevard onramp and encountered the other motorist, who was driving a yellow Honda coupe.
The deputy said he thought the other driver had grazed his car, and pulled over to the right shoulder to inspect for damage.
Hocking said, however, that investigators told him there appeared to be no major damage to the deputy’s car.
The deputy told investigators that the other driver, Jose Antonio Ruiz, 19, of Inglewood pulled over in front of him and got out of his car.
The deputy said Ruiz then removed a butterfly knife from his waistband and approached him, Hocking said.
The deputy said he identified himself as a law enforcement officer, Hocking said, but Ruiz continued to point the knife at him.
The deputy fired two shots, striking the man in the upper body, Hocking said.
Ruiz, who was conscious at the scene, was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, said Inspector Darryl Jacobs of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
He was listed in stable condition and is expected to live, Hocking said.
He said it was not clear who called 911 after the shooting or what caused the initial confrontation between the drivers, but investigators had interviewed some witnesses.
“I would not call it road rage yet,” Hocking said.
The deputy was not injured and was cooperating with the sheriff’s investigation, Hocking said.
Neither the deputy nor Ruiz have been charged with a crime, Hocking said.
The two men did not know each other, Hocking said, and the shooting was not gang-related.
He added that alcohol and drugs were not a factor.
“As far as we know, the deputy did not have any other choice” than to shoot, Hocking said.
Asked whether the deputy followed Sheriff’s Department rules, Hocking said, “I think he just used common sense. He was just trying to get away and check his vehicle when he was confronted by the suspect.”
Sheriff’s officials said there would be criminal and administrative reviews of the shooting. They refused, however, to identify the deputy.
Michael Gennaco, who heads the county’s Office of Independent Review, said he could not comment on the specifics of the case pending completion of the investigation. But he said it was typical for the oversight group to examine all the decisions leading up to the use of such force.
“We look at every decision the officer makes from a tactical point of view as well as examining their state of mind and officer-safety issues,” Gennaco said.
The backup on the 105 Freeway caused by the closure stretched for at least two miles shortly after 9 a.m. The roadway was reopened in the early afternoon.
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times