Resident Comments on Police Action



ELA Station received a call regarding spousal assault. The suspect fled in his vehicle. Deputies spotted the vehicle and stopped the vehicle. The suspect was ordered out of the vehicle at gunpoint and arrested. The below email was from an East Los Angeles Resident who watched the traffic stop and arrest.



Captain Wolak,



This morning I observed Sheriff's deputies in action. A suspect's vehicle was stopped on Cesar Chavez Ave in front of the Gallo Plaza. I was able to observe from my office. The vehicle was stopped. 3 Sheriff's Deputies stopped their patrol vehicles a safe distance behind. They exited their vehicles and drew their weapons. The suspect was calmly instructed in a command voice to place his hands outside the driver window. The deputies calmly held their aim. Once the perimeter was secured by another deputy, the deputy in charge of the incident gave the suspect clear and direct orders for the suspect to comply. His voice demonstrated command authority and calm. The deputies with the weapons drawn demonstrated confidence, discipline, and great restraint. The suspect was safely apprehended.



I was very impressed with the performance of the deputies at the scene. It was a demonstration of the great training, discipline, and leadership of the deputies of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station. Frankly, when the incident started I expected a negative outcome due to all the bad press the Sheriff's department has had in the past few years. The professionalism I observed today from the men and women under your command greatly impressed me. Many members of our community observed the incident including leaders such as XXXXXXX( Name Omitted). He was standing next to me and when it was over we both said "textbook performance".



Please express our thanks and appreciation to the deputies at the scene. From my military experience, I am of the belief that the commander's leadership traits are filtered down to his or her troops. It the commander's attitude is poor, the troops will display the same attitude. If the commander is disciplined, those under his or her command will demonstrate discipline. Today's incident was successful because the Captain, Lieutenants, Sergeants, and Deputies demonstrated discipline.



Manuel

Contact Information: TJ Smith, Sergeant - 323-981-5020, t1smith@lasd.org