Los Angeles

Officers Shoot at Man Who Drove through Protest Skirmish Line, No One Injured

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

An officer-involved shooting occurred in downtown Los Angeles when a man allegedly drove through a Los Angeles Police Department skirmish line during protests against police brutality, police said Wednesday.

About 1:50 a.m. Saturday, officers assigned to crowd control for a protest near Sixth Street and South Broadway were positioned in a skirmish line when Richard Dodson allegedly drove eastbound toward the officers, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

It was not immediately clear if he was attempting to hit officers with his car, but no officer was struck, according to the LAPD's Officer Rosario Cervantes.

An unidentified officer, positioned on the west side of the intersection fired a "less-lethal" 40-millimeter round at Dodson, which penetrated his car's front passenger-side window.

Dodson kept driving toward officers and Officer Enrique Trujillo of LAPD's Newton Division fired his pistol at him, according to police. Dodson, the only person in the car, was not struck by gunfire.

He drove through the skirmish line, then stopped his car, according Cervantes.

He was taken into custody without incident and booked for attempted murder of a police officer, according to police.

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