Wounded Deputies Released From Hospital Following East LA Shootout Which Killed 2 Suspects

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Both Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies wounded in an East L.A. shootout last week which left two suspects dead have now been released from the hospital.

The sheriff's department reported Tuesday that the two deputies, one of whom was shot in the shoulder and the other in the jaw, have been released from LAC+USC Medical Center.

The gun battle occurred Sept. 19 at Salazar Park following a pursuit.

Deputies had responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call at 6th Street and Bonnie Beach Place when they spotted a vehicle with the three suspects inside and began to follow it in a slow-speed chase.

The vehicle then came to a stop in Salazar Park, off Whittier Boulevard.

At that point, one suspect got out of the car and opened fire on the deputies, striking them both, LASD reports.

More deputies then responded to the scene and more gunfire was exchanged. One of the suspects, 39-year-old Rene Herrera, was shot and killed at the scene.

A second suspect, 18-year-old Fernando Cruz, was wounded by the gunfire. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died, LASD reports.

A third suspect, 18-year-old Hector Martinez, was initially arrested, but has since been released from custody pending the ongoing investigation.

This is was the first of two shootings in East LA over the past week in which a deputy was injured. A deputy was wounded in a shooting late Monday night which also left a suspect dead.

At around 11:30 p.m. Monday, during a traffic stop in the 3600 block of Misner Avenue, a deputy was shot in the arm during a struggle over a gun with a passenger in the backseat.

The suspect, a 42-year-old man, was shot and killed by the injured deputy's partner, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

The deputy, a field training officer, underwent surgery and was hospitalized in stable condition.