LAPD officer has part of finger bitten off during subway line crash

A Los Angeles police sergeant had part of his finger bit off during a combative arrest at a subway station on Thursday, department officials said.

Officials said the detained suspect also suffered minor injuries after officers used force when he resisted. The suspect and the sergeant were taken to area hospitals for treatment; neither has been publicly named.

In a statement, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said he was “deeply disturbed by the vicious and horrific attack” on the sergeant and his police colleagues who were “merely on routine patrol on the transit line.

“We remain committed to working every day to improve the safety of the entire transit system with dedicated patrols engaging those who pose a risk to the safety of others,” the statement said.

The incident happened around 10:15 a.m. at an unspecified Red Line station, where officers saw a man boarding a train while carrying drug paraphernalia, a statement said. police press. Officers confronted the man and escorted him off the train, the statement said. In doing so, the statement said, the man became “violent and fought with the officers”, prompting them to use force to detain him.

The suspect was later arrested on suspicion of chaos and resisting an executive order. The Times could not immediately verify the LAPD’s account of the incident.

Two stabbings at Red Line stations in recent weeks have reignited concerns about passenger safety on the system. The line connects downtown to North Hollywood.

According to its annual crime report, Metro has seen a dramatic increase in violent crime, with a 24% increase in aggravated assaults, robberies, rapes and murders from 2021 to 2022. The red line had nearly twice as many violent crimes, 687, as the next row, Blue, the report said.

At the same time, ridership has dropped on the metro in recent years. The total number of commuters rose 12% last year, compared to 2021, but the train’s estimated 57 million passengers were still well below the 93 million reported in 2019, according to Metro. Ridership on the Red Line in particular was 56% of pre-pandemic levels.

Times writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.