LAPD releases video of machine gun attack on two LAPD officers in Willowbrook – NBC Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Police Department released a video on Friday of an attack with a fully automatic rifle on two police officers during a traffic stop in Willowbrook.

The more than 11-minute-long video, which also includes footage from a dashboard and body-worn camera, captured some of the events that followed the July 3 traffic stop in the southern Los Angeles County community.

At about 9 p.m. that evening, officers stopped a driver suspected of driving under the influence near Broadway and Rosecrans Avenue. But before officers could get out of the patrol car, a barrage of shots was fired from the suspect’s Chevrolet vehicle, police said.

Authorities later determined that the shots were fired from a fully automatic AR-style rifle, a self-loading rifle that is continuously loaded and fires shots when the trigger is held down. The camera in the officers’ car recorded the jarring sound of rapid fire coming from the sedan and hitting the patrol vehicle.

A police officer is heard asking: “What did he hit us with, buddy?”

One officer was hit by two bullets, causing graze wounds to his head. Both officers suffered cuts from glass fragments from the patrol car’s windshield. Several cartridge cases from the fully automatic weapon were found at the scene of the traffic stop, police said.

The driver left the scene of the accident. Officers attempted to pursue the car but lost sight of it several blocks later.

The suspect was arrested on July 12.

Malcolm Darnell Guss Jr. was charged this week in the shooting. He faces one count of attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of assault with a machine gun on a police officer, one count of shooting into an occupied motor vehicle, one count of possession of a machine gun and two counts of possession of a weapon by a felon.

Guss was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty to all charges. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 29.

Bail was set at $2 million. If convicted, Guss faces life in prison.

It was not immediately clear whether he has a lawyer.

“The heinous attack on two police officers during what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop is absolutely appalling,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascón. “This unprovoked attack is a stark reminder of the dangers our police officers face. This act of violence is not only an attack on officers, but on our community’s values ​​of safety and justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with Officers Stefan Carutasu and Joshua Rodney, and the Los Angeles Police Department, during this time.”