An arrest was made in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, the department announced on Monday.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the suspect as 29-year-old Kevin Salazar. The motive in the shooting is unclear at this time.
Luna said Salazar was arrested following a standoff between him and deputies, adding that he was taken "peacefully into custody when they knew our deputy was not afforded the same opportunity.''
Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, was shot in Palmdale on Sept. 16 while sitting in his patrol car while on duty. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
On Monday morning, department announced that a person of interest had been detained.
A dark colored 2006-2012 Toyota Corolla was identified by deputies as a “vehicle of interest.” On Monday morning, a car matching the description of the car investigators are looking for was towed out of a Palmdale neighborhood that was a few miles away from the Palmdale Sheriff's Station.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Salazar's mother, Marle Salazar, said her son is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He stopped taking his medication about 10 months ago, but had never previously tried to hurt anyone except himself.
"My son is mentally ill, and if he did something, he wasn't in his full mental capacity," she told The Times. "They're only saying that he was the one that shot the deputy, but nobody is saying he has a record for needing mental help."
City News Service contributed to this report.
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