Reward for Gunman of 2 LA Deputies Climbs to Over $500,000

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Sep 17, 2020 11:54 PM EDT

The reward money offered for information leading to the arrest of the gunman who shot two Los Angeles County deputies last week has grown to over $500,000, officials said.

According to an ABC News report, the reward is now standing at $675,000. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors first allowed for a $100,000 reward that may lead to the gunman's arrest and conviction.

The deputies sustained critical injuries as they were shot multiple times while inside their parked patrol car Saturday night. Officials described the attack on the deputies as an ambush-style attack.

(Photo : Josh Lefkowitz / Getty Images)
Sheriff Alex Villanueva

The reward has since grown due to various contributions, including $75,000 from the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and $25,000 from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

There were also two private donors who gave $75,000 for the reward money. According to Orange County Register, donors have pledged over $530,000 as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, around $800,000 has been donated to help fund hospital bills and recovery of the deputies.

One of the deputies has been released from intensive care on Wednesday. According to Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the 24-year-old deputy suffered gunshot wounds to his forehead, arms and a hand.

He will need more surgeries performed on his arm, said Villanueva.

"He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he's not alone," Villanueva said in a social media post. "We, as a community, are in this together."

The other officer is still at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. The deputy, who suffered a shot in the jaw and arms, is still in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday night.

Villanueva thanked all donors and other people who have offered support to the deputies. There was an outpour of support in social media and interviews since the shooting.

No arrest of the gunman was announced as of Thursday evening.

Oversight Board Calls for Villanueva to Resign

Some Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission members and two LA county supervisors called for Villanueva's resignation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

They said the sheriff has a tense relationship with the Board of Supervisors. The commission also said Villanueva resisted to oversight his department.

"It is with great reluctance that I call on Sheriff Villanueva to resign," said Commissioner Robert Bonner Thursday. "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deserves better and so do the people of Los Angeles County."

Bonner said Villanueva is the only sheriff in Los Angeles who had "no effective relationship with the Board." He noted that Villanueva went out of his way to "alienate and insult supervisors."

He said Villanueva did little to enforce policy that bans deputy cliques within the department.

He added that the sheriff did not want to provide information to county inspector general Max Huntsman, indicating they will be investigating Huntsman himself. Other commissioners concurred with Bonner's statements.

In a statement, the sheriff's department said the commission is "playing politics." It said considering the motion, especially after the department had two of its members in a life-threatening ambush, is "morally repugnant."

Lt. John Satterfield, a spokesman for the department, said it was "obvious" that the commission was fighting against the sheriff's efforts to investigate the potential criminal activity.