Gunman Who Shot Two LA Deputies Still Being Sought as Reward Eclipses $300,000

In this still image from video, a man walks up to sheriff's deputies and opens fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP

The man who shot two deputies in California over the weekend still isn’t in custody, but the reward for information leading to his arrest has risen above $300,000.

The largest portion of the reward is being offered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The board announced Sept. 13, just one day after the shooting, that it was offering $100,000 for details that lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

A mix of public and private groups have since offered more money, quickly pushing the total up.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox Los Angeles late Sept. 15 that the latest offers came from a law firm on the East Coast and the city manager of El Monte. The $25,000 and $10,000 they offered put the total above $300,000.

The sheriff’s office told The Epoch Times via email that detectives are working hard to find the shooter.

“I can assure you our detectives are some of the best. They are definitely looking at thousands of hours of video from everywhere and have been looking tirelessly,” a spokesman said.

Villanueva told a radio show on Sept. 14 that two private individuals were offering a combined $75,000, taking the reward at the time to $175,000.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies walk outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters

During the appearance, he urged NBA star LeBron James to match the offer.

“I want you to match that and double that reward because I know you care about law enforcement,“ he said. ”You expressed a very interesting statement on race relations and officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African American community and I appreciate that, but likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across professions, races, creeds, and I’d like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double that.”

James hasn’t reacted to the request for help as of the morning of Sept. 16.

Internet detectives claimed this week that Darnell Hicks, a football coach, was a suspect in the attack, but officials indicated that wasn’t the case.

“Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our two deputies,” the Sheriff’s Department stated on Twitter. “This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time.”

“There was some bad information floating around yesterday about a suspect,” Villanueva told reporters during a Sept. 14 press conference. “All that information is false.”

Hicks, a Compton resident, told KTLA that he’s in fear for his safety after being falsely accused.

“I have two daughters,” he said. “I don’t even feel safe taking them out no more.”

Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva taking questions at a late-night news conference about the condition of two sheriff's deputies in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP

Hicks’s lawyer, Brian Dunn, said it wasn’t clear why Hicks was accused.

“There has been a complete blackout in terms of the information, where it has come from,” he said. “Nobody has taken responsibility for it.”

Few details have been given on the investigation into the shooting, which left two deputies with serious injuries.

The female deputy saved her partner’s life, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti. The deputies were rushed to a nearby hospital and are expected to survive.

A GoFundMe fundraising page has raised more than $545,000 for the deputies, who have been identified as a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman. The funds will be sent to the deputies through the deputies’ union relief fund, the ALADS C.A.R.E.S. Foundation, the page’s manager said. The foundation is also accepting donations.

Americans have “truly shown how wonderful they are” by sending letters and emails of support, flowers, cards, and donations every day since the shooting, the sheriff’s department stated on social media.