OPD recovers rifle from suspect who shot ofc. this morning. Ofc. is out of surgery/recovering. pic.twitter.com/RzXTcwEfZP
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) August 3, 2015
Oakland Police Department officers found themselves involved in a deadly shoot-out Monday morning, after an investigation into a sexual assault turned suddenly violent.
An Oakland Police Sergeant and an officer approached a home on the 3800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, just blocks from the MacArthur BART station, at 1:32 Monday morning as part of an investigation of a sexual assault reported Sunday night, OPD spokesperson Johnna Watson says.
That's when "a man who came out of the house with an assault rifle and began shooting at them immediately," the Bay Area News Group reports.
According to the Chron, the shooter was indeed the man sought in the sexual assault under investigation, but “As officers went to the house to try and locate the suspect, the suspect ultimately came out of the front door with a rifle and immediately began firing upon the officers that were in front of the house,” OPD Chief Sean Whent said.
More than 30 shots were exchanged by the three men, CBS5 reports.
The Sergeant was also struck in the shootout, with a wound described by Sean Whent as "significant." "He has since undergone surgery and is in serious but stable condition," ABC7 reports.
The gun used by the suspect was recovered from the scene, Whent said at a press conference this morning. It was described by Oakland homicide Lt. Roland Holmgren as an "SKS-type assault rifle with an extended 30-round magazine," the Chron reports. No additional suspects are being sought in the case.
"Our officers encounter dangerous situations on a daily basis and all have the potential to go bad," Whent said.
"Fortunately it does not happen that often."
Both officers will be placed on paid leave, as is standard protocol in a police shooting. The case will be investigated by OPD's homicide department and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call OPD at (510) 238-3821.
Related: Suspect Killed In First Oakland Police Fatal Shooting In Two Years