The Region - News from June 1, 1986

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was shot and wounded by a narcotics suspect who produced a hidden handgun while being transported to jail. A sheriff’s spokesman said the deputies evidently failed to discover the small-caliber weapon when they searched Mario Roman Amaya, 23, after arresting him in East Los Angeles. Amaya’s hands were cuffed behind him, the spokesman said, when he drew the pistol and opened fire. The deputies, one of whom was wounded in the right arm, stopped their car, got out, returned Amaya’s fire and grabbed him when he tried to crawl out a broken window. Amaya was subdued and delivered to East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station, where he was booked on suspicion of attempted murder in addition to the narcotics violation. The wounded deputy was treated at a hospital and released.