Shootout Survivor Urges Use of Bulletproof Vests

Urging other officers to wear bulletproof vests, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who survived being shot in the chest during a hail of semiautomatic gunfire credited the equipment with saving his life.

“It’s a miracle,” Deputy Frank Dominguez, 39, said at a news conference Thursday. “Angels were there. They were watching me.”

The father of five and grandfather of three described his role in the gun battle that pitted him and another deputy against two suspected car thieves in East LosAngeles on Tuesday night. After a car pursuit that stopped on a dead-end street, the gunmen jumped from their car and opened fire on the officers.

Dominguez said that as he opened the door of his patrol car, he could hear bullets whistling through the air and skipping on the concrete. He stepped out and was struck in the chest. He said the impact was a blunt blow that stopped him but did not knock him down.

Dominguez said he was undeterred by being shot and drew on his more than 14 years of experience and training to remain focused and return fire as the gunmen fled.

The other deputy, Sean Vanleeuwen, 32, was struck by bullet fragments in the hand and leg. Both deputies were taken to County-USC Medical Center, where Vanleeuwen remained Thursday. Dominguez suffered a bruise.

“I had a close friend, a close partner, who forced me to wear that thing,” Dominguez said. “For those who don’t, who are skeptical and don’t put it on, who are lazy--wear it.”