LOCAL : Officer Suffers Powder Burns From Fired Shot; Bullet Misses

A Burbank police officer narrowly escaped death when a gang member fired a gun at him at such a close range that the officer’s face was burned by gunpowder, but the bullet missed, authorities said today.

Michael A. Miller, 24, the South-Central Los Angeles gang member who had barricaded himself Monday night in an apartment he was ransacking, later surrendered and was charged today with attempted murder of a police officer, Sgt. Don Goldberg said.

“He definitely tried to kill the officer,” Goldberg said. “The bullet went right over his head.”

Officer Brent Ambrose, 27, was treated for burns on his face and forehead after the 11:45 p.m. incident at an apartment complex in the 600 block of East Angeleno Avenue.

“You don’t want to get any closer,” Goldberg said. “He was close enough that the shot missed him but his head and face was burned by the gunpowder residue.”

Police said the incident began when three women awoke to find Miller ransacking their apartment. One woman called police and then fled from the apartment. A second was held at gunpoint by Miller but when he was distracted, she jumped through a window. The third woman hid under a bed while Miller roamed the apartment looking for valuables.

Police surrounded the apartment and called for Miller to surrender. He allegedly walked to a door where Ambrose was positioned, opened it and fired a shot at the officer before going back inside. No shots were returned by police because of the remaining woman inside.

A short while later, after police talked to Miller on the phone, he surrendered.