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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- More than a dozen Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies will be disciplined for their roles in a controversial shooting incident in which more than 120 rounds were fired at a vehicle driven by an unarmed suspect, Sheriff Lee Baca announced Thursday.
The 13 deputies will face punishments ranging from written reprimands to 15-day suspensions, Baca said.
During the May 9 incident, a suspect led police on a 12-minute chase through Compton, considered one of the more dangerous cities in Southern California.
The chase ended when officers surrounded the vehicle and opened fire. The driver, 44-year-old Winston Hayes, was hit four times but survived.
One deputy was also wounded, Baca has said, possibly by so-called friendly fire.
Some people who live nearby reported their homes were hit by bullets as well.
Deputies later found that Hayes, who has an arrest record for narcotics and assault, was unarmed.
Baca said the department has changed its policies on firing at moving vehicles, requiring that deputies independently decide whether to shoot, rather than all firing at a single command.
Ten of the deputies involved in the shooting later offered a public apology.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/09/compton.shooting/index.html
The 13 deputies will face punishments ranging from written reprimands to 15-day suspensions, Baca said.
During the May 9 incident, a suspect led police on a 12-minute chase through Compton, considered one of the more dangerous cities in Southern California.
The chase ended when officers surrounded the vehicle and opened fire. The driver, 44-year-old Winston Hayes, was hit four times but survived.
One deputy was also wounded, Baca has said, possibly by so-called friendly fire.
Some people who live nearby reported their homes were hit by bullets as well.
Deputies later found that Hayes, who has an arrest record for narcotics and assault, was unarmed.
Baca said the department has changed its policies on firing at moving vehicles, requiring that deputies independently decide whether to shoot, rather than all firing at a single command.
Ten of the deputies involved in the shooting later offered a public apology.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/09/compton.shooting/index.html