LAPD officer hospitalized after finger allegedly bitten off by homeless person at Metro station
A Los Angeles Police Department officer was hospitalized on Thursday after a homeless person allegedly bit a portion of his finger off at the Vermont/Santa Monica Metro Station in East Hollywood.
According to a statement from LAPD, officers were on the platform level of the station at around 10:30 a.m. conducting their routine work activities when one noticed the man "in possession of narcotic paraphernalia." The officers escorted the man off the train at which point he allegedly "became violent," the statement said.
The officer, a sergeant with the department, remains hospitalized at the latest after a part of his finger was bitten off by the suspect during the ensuing altercation.
Despite attempts from surgeons to reattach the officer's finger, they were unable to do so.
The suspect has been taken into custody and was booked on a charge of mayhem and resisting an executive order. He was briefly hospitalized for minor injuries sustained in the fight.
"I'm deeply disturbed by the vicious and gruesome attack on our sergeant as he and other officers were simply conducting routine patrol of the transit line," said LAPD Chief Michel Moore in a statement. "We remain committed to our work each day to improve the safety of the entire transit system with dedicated patrols engaging those who pose a risk to the safety of others."
After learning of the incident, Metro issued a statement, which read in part:
"Metro extends its sympathies to the sergeant injured in this accident and thanks him for his dutiful service to help protect the safety of Metro's customers. The Metro family wishes him a speedy recovery.
We take this matter extremely seriously and have zero tolerance for violent acts on the Metro System. We continue to work aggressively to address safety on the transit system and have directed our law enforcement partners to increase their visible presence and to actively enforce penal code violations, including enforcement of our drug-free policy."
On Friday, authorities identified the suspect as 36-year-old Ephraim Okorie. He is being held on $100k bail.
