El Monte Police Officers Were Shot Dead While Answering A Knife Call At The El Monte Motel A Suspect Was Killed Officials Say.

Police responded to a possible knife at the Siesta Inn near Garvey and Central avenues shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said. As soon as they arrived, they confronted a man identified as a suspect and shots were fired inside a motel room. The suspect fled and moved to the parking lot, where they exchanged more fire. Detectives said the suspect was shot and killed on the spot and a gun believed to have been used by the suspect was found. The two police officers were rushed to LAC-USC Medical Center where they died from their injuries. “They were acting as a first line of defense for members of our community when they were actually ambushed in an attempt to keep a family safe,” El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona told a news conference Tuesday night. Officials said a woman involved in the initial possible knife call was the suspect’s girlfriend and was being interviewed by detectives. He was not injured. Neither the police nor the suspect have been identified to the public. However, authorities said one of the officers had more than two decades of experience in the force and the second officer had less than a year on the job. Many law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation tell ABC News that investigators believe the suspect was suspended for possession of a firearm. They said the suspect was arrested last year for possession of a firearm and drugs. The city of El Monte, the El Monte police station and the El Monte Police Officers’ Union issued a joint statement on Tuesday night stating: “There are no words to describe our grief and devastation from this absurd act as we learn of the deaths of two of our police officers. It weighs on our hearts and we send our condolences to their families. We would also like to thank the El Monte community. and our surrounding government agencies for the explosive support we have received in the last few hours. “ Two El Monte officers killed in exchange of fire: “They served with respect” El Monte’s interim police chief Ben Lowry called the police heroes. “These two men fell in love,” he said. “They were good people. They made the ultimate sacrifice, serving their community by trying to help someone.” “Today they were killed by a coward and we mourn and that hurts,” he said. A gloomy march began shortly after 11pm as police and El Monte police escorted police officers from the hospital to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. A former colleague of hers visited a monument on Wednesday morning to pay tribute to her. “I was heartbroken to hear all this,” said former colleague Karina Serna. “I was a job when it happened and it’s sad, it really is. His children, his family – it sucks, it really is. As the leader said, lives were taken away by a coward.” ATTENTION: El Monte community reacts to deadly police attack on motel The killings came just a day after a California Highway Patrol officer was shot and seriously injured during a traffic jam in Studio City. The 27-year-old officer was shot several times. He was in critical but stable condition in hospital, but was expected to recover, the CHP said. A suspect turned himself in to police on Tuesday morning in a homeless camp in Van Nuys. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.