2 Police Officers on Patrol in Watts Hit by Shotgun Blasts

Two Los Angeles police officers, driving their patrol car through a Watts housing project, were wounded early Monday morning when they were struck by shotgun blasts fired by an unknown assailant, authorities said.

Officers Michael Flanagan, 25, and Brad Shea, 30, were treated at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and released in good condition shortly after they were wounded while on routine patrol in the Jordan Downs housing project, Officer Don Lawrence said.

The two Southeast Division officers were driving east on 102nd Street, shortly before 1 a.m., when they were fired upon, police said.

“As they drove, an unknown suspect or suspects, shot at them several times with a shotgun,” Lawrence said.

One round struck the door on the driver’s side, sending pellets through an open window, police said. The driver, Flanagan, a four-year veteran of the Police Department, was struck in the forearm and both hands. Shea, a one-year-veteran, was hit in the thigh and calf.

Drives to Hospital

Despite his wounds, Flanagan never lost control of the car and drove to the hospital, police Lt. Charles Massey said. Neither officer saw the assailant or attempted to fire back, the lieutenant said.

After the shooting, police spent several hours searching the low-income housing development and the neighborhood surrounding it. However, officers were unable to find a weapon or suspects, Massey said. There was no known motive for the shooting.