Authorities in Los Angeles, California, announced that the suspect accused of ambushing two deputies has been identified and is in custody. Deonte Murray, 36, was charged with two counts of willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder of a peace officer and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

"This cowardly ambush was followed by bystanders celebrating and cheering that the deputies had been shot, and that followed at the hospital -- the sanctity, the quiet sanctity of the hospital -- with protesters cheering and chanting for the deputies to die,'' Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. "These acts and that day, I will not forget it, and it represents the worst in humanity, and it shocked the whole nation. And that evening, I said we will find this man. And I can report today, we have found our suspect.''

Villanueva said that Murray was taken into custody three days after the shooting on unrelated charges. Murray was arrested on September 15 following an alleged carjacking and a ten-hour standoff with police. At the time, authorities said that Murray was not a suspect in the ambush attack on the two officers.

Officials said they had to wait for ballistics evidence before announcing that Murray was the suspect who allegedly fired on the two officers. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Captain Kent Wegener said that a forensic analysis of a gun recovered during the standoff with Murray showed that it was the same gun that was used to fire on the officers.

If convicted, Murray faces life in prison.

The two deputies survived the attack and are facing a long road to recovery. While they have both been released from the hospital, they still have to undergo additional surgeries in the coming months.

Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Trending