Man in police custody killed when reaching for officer's gun at California hospital
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Los Angeles Police Department officers and USC Department of Public Safety officer gather at the command post after four people were shot including one in critical condition during a Halloween party at the Tutor Campus Center on November 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The university issued an alert to students and staff that the police were investigating an incident and requested the campus be shut down while encouraging others to stay away from the area to further notice. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (2012 Getty Images)
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) – A man brought to a hospital after attacking police was shot to death by a Los Angeles officer in the emergency room after he swung a metal stool and grabbed for an officer's gun, authorities said.
Ruben Jose Herrera, 26, of Torrance, died Saturday afternoon at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles, the county coroner's office said Sunday. He was the 20th person killed by police this year.
Authorities brought Herrera to the hospital to get checked out after he "viciously attacked" two officers sent to investigate reports of a man throwing bottles at an apartment complex and fighting with his neighbors Saturday morning, police Cmdr. Phil Tingirides said.
During the initial struggle, Herrera kicked and punched the officers and knocked a stun gun out of one officer's hand, Tingirides said. More officers were called, and they subdued Herrera.
When he was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Herrera was initially cooperative with two officers assigned to take him into custody.
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He was handcuffed to a gurney, Tingirides said. After medical staff cleared Herrera to be taken to jail, officers briefly unshackled him from the gurney to handcuff him again for transport, Lt. John Jenal said.
That's when the man picked up the metal stool and began swinging it, Tingirides said.
Nurses and doctors in the emergency room told investigators that one of the officers tried to subdue the man with a stun gun, but it wasn't effective. When Herrera tried to reach for an officer's gun, the officer's partner shot him, the witnesses said.
"One round was fired," Tingirides said.
The hospital staff immediately began to treat Herrera's gunshot wound, but he died in the emergency room, Tingirides said.
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