LAPD Officer Fires on Van in Palm Springs
One of two off-duty Los Angeles police officers in Palm Springs at the end of spring break opened fire at a van that allegedly tried to run down the other officer, authorities said Thursday.
Officers Hurley Criner, 26, and Christopher Jordan, 24, were driving their motorcycles along Palm Canyon Drive after midnight Monday when a van drove alongside and one of five men inside the vehicle tried to grab a woman riding with Criner. After Criner unsuccessfully tried to stop the van at a traffic light, he and Jordan followed the van to a parking lot. The van stopped, and as Criner and Jordan approached it, several men armed with clubs got out of the van and confronted the officers, according to Los Angeles Police Lt. Ken Lady.
After Criner drew his gun and identified himself as a police officer, two of the men climbed back into the van. The driver allegedly aimed for the officers and hit Jordan’s motorcycle. Criner, fearing the van had run over Jordan, fired three shots at the vehicle as it sped away, Lady said.
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