A University Police officer shot and wounded a male suspect in
Kerckhoff Hall Sunday night at about 9:50 p.m. The man was
transported to the UCLA hospital.
Police did not identify by name either the officer or the
suspect. Early this morning, hospital officials would not comment
on the suspect’s condition, saying they couldn’t do so
without a name.
The police officer who fired shots was on a routine foot patrol
in Kerckhoff when he encountered a “trespassing
suspect” in the second-floor study lounge, according to a
statement from university police. A physical altercation ensued
and, fearing for his life, the officer fired two shots. One hit the
suspect, the statement said.
The statement did not say and a police spokeswoman said she did
not know whether the suspect was armed.
The police statement identified the suspect as a
“non-affiliate” ““Â meaning he is not a UCLA
student, nor is he staff or faculty.
Los Angeles police are currently working with the UCPD to
investigate the incident. As policy, UCPD does not investigate its
own officer-involved shootings.
After the shots, the building which houses student group office
space quickly became a crime scene. A UCPD squad car was parked on
Bruin Walk, with its lights glowing. Another was parked in back of
Kerckhoff and the building was locked up.
Students working in Kerckhoff were told not to go near the
second floor. Matt Kaczmarek, the undergraduate student
government’s external vice president, was working in his
Kerckhoff office when the shots were fired. He did not hear the
shots, but soon afterward, a police officer told him not to leave
his office on the fourth floor. Kaczmarek said as someone who often
works late at night, the incident worries him.
Shortly before midnight, Los Angeles police evacuated Kerckhoff
completely.
At 3 a.m., much of the Kerckhoff patio remained sectioned off by
police tape, as numerous officers investigated the crime in the
study lounge. It was not known when the building would reopen.
Police said more details about the incident would be made
available today.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff reports.