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Patient Shot, Critically Wounded By Deputy At Torrance Hospital After Becoming Violent

TORRANCE (CBSLA) – A patient was shot and critically wounded by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance late Tuesday night after he allegedly went on a violent rampage.

One Person Shot, Wounded By Deputies At Harbor-UCLA Medical Center In Torrance
A person was shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center In Torrance. Oct. 6, 2020. (CBSLA)

The suspect was shot by a deputy at around 11:15 p.m. inside the hospital, which is located at 1000 W. Carson St.

The suspect, a man between 30 and 40-years-old, is in critical condition at the hospital undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds, a sheriff's spokesperson said. The deputy was not injured.

The situation began when the suspect began acting erratically, taking a piece of medical equipment, trying to destroy a computer and then trying to smash a fourth-floor window, sheriff's Lt. Derrick Alfred told CBSLA.

A deputy who was providing security for the hospital was assisting staff who were trying to get the situation under control. However, at one point, the suspect allegedly attacked the deputy, and she opened fire on him.

"I heard medical staff there trying to control him and also some patients screaming," Alfred said. "She assisted the medical staff in moving some of the patients out of there. At that point the suspect, or patient in question, he turned his attention toward the deputy and went after the deputy and that is when the deputy-involved shooting occurred."

It's unclear what the suspect was being treated for prior to the shooting. Neither the hospital or the sheriff's department have the suspect's name, Alfred disclosed.

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