Deputy injured in South Whittier confrontation; 2 suspects shot and injured

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was injured Wednesday during a confrontation in South Whittier that involved a shooting that wounded two suspects; and resulted in the arrest of one more suspect.

The shooting occurred about 2:40 p.m. in the 11400 block of Chere Drive, near the intersection of Valley View Avenue and Imperial Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies from the Norwalk Station approached the occupants of a blue sedan parked in the driveway of a residence on Chere Drive due to an auto theft suspect being inside the home, said Deputy Miguel Meza of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

As the deputies approached the parked vehicle, the driver, identified as 20-year-old Adrian Romero, drove the sedan backward toward the deputies and a deputy fired at the sedan, Meza said.

The sedan continued in reverse, ramming a black and white patrol car parked behind it. The driver and occupants drove away in the sedan and crashed into a wall before the sedan wound up in the middle of the intersection of Telegraph Road and Armsdale Avenue, Meza said. Two suspects ran away from the crash but were captured nearby.

A deputy who was struck by the sedan was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.

Deputies recovered a loaded handgun from the auto theft suspect identified as 21-year-old Aldo Romero, Adrian’s brother, and took him into custody, Meza said.

A woman in her early 20s and a 20-year-old man believed to be the driver sustained gunshot wounds to the upper torso and the leg, respectively. Both were taken to a hospital and the woman was treated and released. The man was reported to be stable.

Adrian was arrested for alleged assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and will be booked upon his release from the hospital. His brother, Aldo, was arrested of a vehicle theft warrant, and was booked for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The woman was determined to be a passenger and was not arrested, authorities said.