Los Angeles Police “ambush”: Duet Lee Murray is accused of attempted murder
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Detectives in Los Angeles accused a man of trying to kill two police officers who were shot while sitting in a patrol car.
Prosecutors said Duont-Lee Murray, 36, was already in custody on unrelated car theft charges.
The Associated Press reported that, in a court hearing on Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in both cases.
A video of the shooting, which was widely shared, showed a person approaching a police car, opening fire, and then running away.
The officers were seriously injured but have since been discharged from the hospital.
The footage of the September 12 attack, which police described as an ambush, caused national outrage and called on both candidates in the presidential race – President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden – to deal with the perpetrator harshly.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said in a statement that Deont Lee Murray has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The statement said he had been in custody since his arrest on September 15th on charges of stealing cars.
After appearing in court on Wednesday, Murray was held on bail of $ 6.15 million (£ 4.7 million) and is set to return to court in November.
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Police guarded the hospital, where the wounded officers were taken away
Prosecutors have not indicated any possible motive for the shooting of the officers, which occurred in the Compton suburb of Los Angeles.
Their names were not disclosed but they were described as a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man.
The officer was injured in her jaw and arm, while the officer was injured in the forehead, arm and hand.
It later emerged that despite her injuries, the deputy helped her partner to safety and placed a tourniquet on his injured arm.
With law and order being a major issue in next month’s presidential election, the two candidates strongly condemned the attack at the time.
President Donald Trump shared footage of the incident and tweeted: “Animals must be hit hard.”
Meanwhile, Biden said the shooting in “cold blood” was unreasonable and “the perpetrator must be brought to justice.”
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