Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna could not help but become emotional as he held a press conference on Monday announcing that a suspected has been apprehended after the brutal ambush killing of 30-year-old Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
I want to let to our community know Deputy Clinkunbroomer left his family tonight to serve our community. He laid everything on the line to serve us. He wore a uniform just like other @LASDHQ deputies wear, driving in a police car, and he was senselessly murdered tonight. pic.twitter.com/Jqc2sSB63c
— Robert Luna (@LACoSheriff) September 17, 2023
Suspect In Deputy’s Ambush Murder Apprehended
Mediaite reported that Kevin Cataneo Salazar was taken into custody early Monday morning by a sheriff’s office SWAT team.
“I want to take a pause for a second when I talk about how proud I am of this department after a significant tragedy that we’ve shared with all of you, because those special enforcement deputies took the time to try to de-escalate this and take this individual peacefully into custody when they knew that our deputy was not afforded the same opportunity,” said a visibly emotional Sheriff Luna. “He never gave our deputy a chance.”
Deputy Clinkunbroomer was a 30-year-old field training officer who was fatally shot on Saturday night while on duty and sitting in his marked car near the Palmdale police station, according to Fox News.
“At the end of the day, he was in a marked black and white, right here in front of the station, and he was murdered. Ambushed by a coward,” Luna continued. “Our officers, our deputies go out and serve this community every day putting their lives on the line, so we have a lot to be thankful for that we have men and women who volunteer to do this and families who kiss them goodbye and just pray that they come back home. And in this case, Ryan’s family will never see him again.”
LASD Sheriff Luna: Suspect in Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s Murder Identified as 29-Year Old ‘Kevin Gatiano Salazar’ in Custody pic.twitter.com/4OKRjpZlTU
— Alexandra Datig | Front Page Index (@alexdatig) September 18, 2023
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Sheriff Luna Calls On Woke DA Gascon To Take Action
Luna went on to call on the progressive District Attorney George Gascon to prosecute Salazar to the fullest extent of the law.
“I have personally spoken to the district attorney this morning and he assures me that they will aggressively pursue this case,” he said.
Gascon was noticeably absent from Monday’s press conference.
“I’ve been in personal contact with Sheriff Luna regarding this investigation and made a commitment to him that my office will aggressively prosecute the suspected killer for this cowardly and senseless attack,” Gascon said in a statement.
“Deputy district attorneys from the Crimes Against Peace Officers Division rolled out the night that this horrendous crime occurred and are in frequent communication with LASD detectives,” he added. “My office will keep the community updated on developments as we work on this case with our law enforcement partners.”
We will continue to support all of our @PalmdaleSheriff deputies, the Clinkunbroomer family and our community during this difficult time.
I'm proud of all our deputies and detective personnel, @SEBLASD for their tenacious efforts in apprehending the suspect involved pic.twitter.com/z8qAfAT5H5
— Robert Luna (@LACoSheriff) September 18, 2023
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Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s Family Speaks Out
Luna concluded the press conference by reading a statement from the Clinkunbroomer family.
“Our son Ryan was a dedicated, hard working, deputy sheriff who enjoyed working here at the Palmdale station,” they said. “He was proud to work along the side of his partners that he considered brothers and sisters as he sacrificed daily to better the community that he served. Ryan made the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.”
“Ryan was recently engaged to the love of his life,” the family continued. “As our first born son, Ryan will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and the sheriff’s department as a whole.”
Check out the full press conference in the video below.
The anti-police sentiments stirred up by the radical left in recent years have put the lives of our men and women in blue in more danger than ever before. Please join us in saying a prayer for Clinkunbroomer’s family and friends, as well as for the millions of police officers in this country who put their lives on the line for the rest of us every day.
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