Off-duty cop shoots attackers
Published 2:17 am Friday, June 26, 2009
ANAHEIM, Calif. — An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in a crowded stadium parking lot after a Colorado Rockies-Los Angeles Angels game, authorities said Thursday.
The officer, who was walking to his car with his wife and two small children about 25 minutes after Wednesday night’s game, was hit in the head with beer bottles, police Sgt. Tim Schmidt said.
The officer called a dispatcher at his department and asked for help, saying two men had choked him and asked him to get away from his car, Sgt. Rick Martinez said.
The officer then shot the men with his duty weapon, Martinez said. Carlos Velasquez, 25, a Camp Pendleton Marine, and his brother, Jose Velasquez, 22, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police were looking for a third suspect.
Velasquez was shot in the chin and was in critical condition. His brother was shot in the upper arm and was in good condition, police said.
The officer was treated at hospital for a head wound and released, Martinez said. Authorities did not disclose the identify of the officer.
No one else in the parking lot was hurt, Martinez said.
The Orange County District Attorney’s office joined the Anaheim Police department in investigating the incident, which is required in officer-involved shootings.