By Grace Wong
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
ONTARIO — A man was shot by an off-duty Los Angeles County probation officer Friday evening after demanding a ride from the officer and his wife.
About 9:40 p.m. Ontario police responding to a call of a shooting in the parking lot of the Smart & Final, 1337 E. Fourth St., found 26-year-old Adrian Leatherman of Ontario, shot in the upper body and on the ground. There was also a knife on the ground near Leatherman, according to a press release from the Ontario Police Department.
Police said Leatherman had approached the off-duty probation officer and his wife as they were loading groceries into their car and demanded a ride. The couple refused and Leatherman allegedly pulled out a knife and continued to demand a ride.
“(The suspect) said something along the lines of ‘Yes, you are,’ and that’s when the officer pulled out his gun and ordered him to get on the ground,” said Jeff Higbee, spokesman for the Police Department. “He initially did, but then he got back up and that’s when he was shot.”
The single shot hit the suspect’s arm and chest. He was treated at the scene and then transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he is listed in critical condition after surgery.
The officer and his wife’s names are not being released, Higbee said.
Leatherman will be charged with attempted carjacking when he is able to be moved. The officer and his wife sustained no injuries.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Robert Marquez at 909-395-2777.