Ten Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies opened fire early Monday on an SUV they were chasing, discharging 120 rounds in a frenzied crossfire that injured a deputy and the unarmed suspect while sending bullets into nearby homes.
The shooting on a narrow residential street in Compton sent residents diving for cover as bullets zipped over their heads and through their windows. In the aftermath, bullet holes pocked the walls of at least five homes.
Sheriff Lee Baca pledged a full investigation into the incident, which was caught on an amateur's videotape.
"The aspect of shooting in an urban area is problematic and dangerous under all circumstances," Baca said. "There's no such thing as a safe shooting under any conditions."
Internal affairs investigators are trying to determine whether the gunfire was a case of "contagious fire," meaning that some deputies incorrectly believed their colleagues' shots were coming from the suspect, prompting them to open fire.
"There are questions about whether one deputy shooting caused the others to fire," said Michael Gennaco, head of the sheriff's Office of Independent Review.
Residents in the Butler Avenue neighborhood off Alondra Boulevard said the deputies put their lives in jeopardy.
"This is crazy, really, really crazy," said Trina Hays, 42, who dove onto her lawn when the shooting erupted 20 feet away. "They didn't have any concern for anybody's life, including their own. That's why their own police officer got hit
The incident began shortly after midnight, when deputies responded to a call of gunfire and were told to look for a white SUV.
Winston Hayes, the suspect, had been driving his white Chevrolet Tahoe around the neighborhood for about four hours, playing music from his stereo as neighbors celebrated Mother's Day by lounging on their front lawns.
Hayes grew up in the working-class neighborhood, a stretch of modest bungalows where many families have lived for decades. Residents knew him well, and some joked that he was going to run out of gas if he kept driving around.
When deputies arrived, they tried to talk to Hayes. But he sped off, leading deputies on a chase that circled the block several times at speeds up to 35 mph.
Some residents said they believed he was showing off and teasing the officers.
"I saw him and the police going around and around and around, back and forth like a merry-go-round," said resident Tarae Smith, 41, who went to elementary school with Hayes.
