2 Held in Shooting of Undercover Officer

An undercover officer with the Santa Monica Police Department was shot in the wrist early Thursday when a gunman opened fire on his car, authorities said.

Officer Walter Ramirez, 25, a four-year veteran, was treated at a local hospital and released, Santa Monica Police Lt. Frank Fabrega said.

The alleged gunman, Michael Espindola, 20, of Santa Monica, was arrested on charges of attempted murder of a police officer and being an ex-convict in possession of a firearm. A second suspect, Richard De La Cruz, 32, of Santa Monica, was arrested on charges of attempted murder of a police officer and a felony probation violation.

The incident began when another Santa Monica officer saw two men in a van in a parking lot in the 1600 block of Cloverfield Boulevard about 5 a.m. He asked the undercover team, which was working on robbery suppression, to check the vehicle’s license plate, police said.

Ramirez and his partner followed the van to a driveway in the 1900 block of 17th Street. As they drove up to the vehicle, Espindola got out and began shooting, police said.

One bullet struck Ramirez, another hit the police car’s windshield, and a final round shattered the right rear window, authorities said. Ramirez’s partner was not injured.

Police cordoned off a four-block area and searched for suspects, Fabrega said. Espindola and De La Cruz were taken into custody without incident.

The shooting is the fifth this year of L.A. County law enforcement officers. On Wednesday, two men were arrested on charges of attempted murder after they allegedly fired at a Los Angeles Police Department officer in a patrol car.

The last time a Santa Monica police officer was shot and injured was in 2000, when three officers were wounded during a Fourth of July gun battle and hostage situation at the Santa Monica Pier, Fabrega said.