Palmdale, Calif-- Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and other County officials held a press conference in front of the Palmdale Sheriff's Station Monday morning regarding the arrest of the suspect they say was involved in the execution-style murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
Luna reported that community members gave investigators enough information to positively identify the suspect as 29-year-old Kevin Salazar from Palmdale. Early this morning, deputies assigned to the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) SWAT team surrounded his residence in the 37600 block of Burrison St., in the city of Palmdale, early this morning around 5:30 AM.
SWAT Deputies called out the occupants of the house, and after some time, family members left the house. However, the suspect stayed inside and barricaded himself in the residence for several hours. According to Sheriff Luna, deputies used several tactics to get the suspect to surrender, including the use of negotiators.
Luna stated that, eventually, the SEB deputies had to resort to the use of "chemical agents," which successfully caused the suspect to exit the residence, and he was taken into custody by the deputies without any further incident. Luna then praised the SEB deputies for their restraint and professional performance for taking the suspect into custody without deadly force, or even significant force. He further reiterated that the suspect never gave Deputy Clinkunbroomer a chance, yet the SEB deputies gave the suspect every chance they could to effect a successful arrest.
Luna said that the investigation was still not over yet and continues to move forward, stating that the arrest was just the first part of this. Salazar was transported and booked at Palmdale Sheriff's Station and is being held without bail pending further investigation. Luna went on to say that they intend to complete the investigation and present their case to the District Attorney's officer "for their filing consideration." He did not elaborate on their intent or desire to force the leftist District Attorney George Gascon to file capital murder charges and request the death penalty for this case.
Luna then read a statement from Deputy Clinkunbroomer's family which said:
Our son Ryan was a dedicated, hard-working Deputy Sheriff who enjoyed working here at the Palmdale station. He was proud to work along the side of his partners who he considered his 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. As our firstborn son, Ryan will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and the sheriff's department as a whole. Please keep Ryan's family, friends, and colleagues in your prayers and respect everyone's privacy during our time of mourning. Thank you from the bottom of our heart.
As far as the press conference is concerned, I tuned out after the Sheriff spoke. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th district, which includes Palmdale, Lancaster, and the rest of the Antelope Valley, spoke after him. Barger was silent when they defunded the department and tried to eliminate some of the very units that were critical in the identification and capture of Salazar. Her words are worthless, and as I mentioned before, her words are just a fancy suit with no one wearing it.
With the arrest likely comes many more months of investigations and court hearings. I hope that the investigation and ultimate prosecution are swift and just. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, his family, and his partners deserve it.
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