DA Charges Second Man in South LA Police Car Shooting

A man who allegedly shot at a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car in South Los Angeles last week was charged with five felonies Friday, authorities said.

James A. Brooks, 19, was arrested in Las Vegas on Monday after allegedly ambushing a patrol car Sunday night near 62nd and Hoover Streets. Neither the LAPD officers nor the suspects were hurt in the shooting.

The LA District Attorney's office charged Brooks with five felonies, including assault on a peace officer with a semi-automatic firearm and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

They are the same charges given to Christopher Taylor, 18, the first suspect to be arrested in connection with the shooting, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Jackie Lacey said.

Prosecutors said this week the gunshots were fired upon rival gang members in another car when the LAPD officers drove through the area.

The attack was similar to the fatal shooting of two New York Police Department officers in December, in which a man shot two unsuspecting officers, apparently spurred by the recent deaths of black men at the hands of police.

It was unclear when Brooks would appear in court, the DA's spokeswoman said; he may choose to fight extradition to California from Las Vegas.

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