Police: Off-duty officer shoots 2 after being assaulted in parking lot after LA Angels game

Off-duty officer shoots 2 in lot after Angels game

ANAHEIM, Calif. — An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in a crowded stadium parking lot after a Colorado Rockies-Los Angeles Angels game, authorities said Thursday.

The officer, who was walking to his car with his wife and two small children about 25 minutes after Wednesday night’s game, was hit in the head with beer bottles, police Sgt. Tim Schmidt said.

The officer called a dispatcher at his department and asked for help, saying two men had choked him and asked him to get away from his car, Sgt. Rick Martinez said.

The officer then shot the men with his duty weapon, Martinez said. Carlos Velasquez, 25, a Camp Pendleton Marine, and his brother, Jose Velasquez, 22, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police were looking for a third suspect.

Velasquez was shot in the chin and was in critical condition. His brother was shot in the upper arm and was in good condition, police said.

The officer was treated at hospital for a head wound and released, Martinez said. Authorities did not disclose the identify of the officer.

No one else in the parking lot was hurt, Martinez said.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office joined the Anaheim Police department in investigating the incident, which is required in officer-involved shootings.

The Angels had beaten the Rockies 11-3 earlier in the evening.

Rachel Cordova was among the startled and confused fans in the parking lot.

“We heard three shots and turned around and I thought, ‘Those are gun shots,’” Cordova told KNX radio. “One of the guys I was with said ‘No, it’s not’ but then we heard sirens.”

Cordova said she then walked toward the scene.

“I left there and saw a young, maybe 20-year-old male laying on the ground without his shirt, and they were attending to him,” she said.

Angels spokesman Tim Mead said he is still waiting for details from the police before he can say whether any changes in security should be made.

“Our security is outstanding,” he said. “All the security in the world and sometimes an incident happens.”

The shooting was one of three major violent incidents at Southern California ballparks this season. A man died two days after getting into a fight on opening day at Angel Stadium in April, and another man was stabbed multiple times at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles after that team’s home opener but survived.