Big City Motor Sergeant Does Police Work Too

One bright and sunny day in Los Angeles while I was working as a motor sergeant, I needed to go to the main Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office at Exposition Blvd and Grand Ave near USC. So I climbed on my trusty iron horse at West traffic Division (WTD) HQ and headed that way.

A double homicide had occurred earlier that day, shortly after midnight, in Harbor Division. The shooters vehicle had been identified as to description and license plate number and number and description of occupants, however no arrests had been made yet. Therefore, a BOLO (be on the lookout) was being broadcast every thirty minutes city-wide. I think I heard the broadcast several times and heard it again on the way to DMV. On the way back to WTD, riding westbound on Jefferson Blvd between Hoover Street and Vermont Avenue, the broadcast was repeated yet again. Being a trained observer, I happened to notice that the vehicle in question was right in front of me going the same direction. I also observed that it contained four young men who generally fit the description of the suspects as mentioned in the broadcast.

Several things went through my mind then:
1. These guys might already have noticed a uniformed motorcycle cop behind them and might be getting very nervous about my presence.
2. Nervous young killers might believe that killing again would help keep them out of jail.
3. I didn't want to deal with them since I was alone and there were four of them.

So I made a u-turn (motorcycles are wonderfully maneuverable). Then I went back about fifty yards and made another u-turn. Now I was in position to keep them in view from a safe distance while coordinating a proper tactical response.

"34M30, I have the 187 (homicide) vehicle from Harbor westbound on Jefferson at Vermont in the number one lane. There are four males in the vehicle. I am requesting an air unit (helicopter) and three Southwest units."

A couple of blocks later, more than three (a lot more than three) Southwest units, each with two young, enthusiastic and highly trained LAPD officers in them, made a coordinated traffic stop with a helicopter circling overhead. Any thought that these guys had of shooting their way out were quickly extinguished when they went almost instantaneously from cruising down Jefferson Boulevard on their way to whatever, to looking down the barrels of at least four LAPD shotguns and an even larger number of handguns.

The arrests took place smoothly and no one was hurt.

I have often been asked (carefully and politely) if I ever had to shoot anyone during my nearly forty years as a cop. The answer is always the same. Fortunately it never came to that. But there were a lot of times where shooting was averted because of good tactics and training. The incident described above is probably the best example of that.