On July 3, 2024, the deadly encounter happened in Willowbrook, Los Angeles, during a routine traffic stop. Officers Stefan Carutasu and Joshua Rodney tried to pull over a white Chevrolet sedan near Broadway and Rosecrans Avenue. Before they could escape their patrol car, the driver opened fire with a fully automatic AR-style rifle. One officer suffered graze wounds to the head, and both had lacerations from shattered glass in the attack.
Suspect’s Criminal Background
The 31-year-old suspect, Malcolm Darnell Guss Jr., has seven felony convictions. Among his previous convictions are residential burglaries in 2014 and 2018 and several charges since 2020 for being an offender in possession of a firearm. Guss faced several arrests in 2022 and 2023, yet he continued committing crimes, which highlights potential flaws in the justice system’s design and its handling of repeat offenders.
Legal Proceedings and Charges
Guss fled the scene after the July 3 incident but was arrested on July 12. He faces charges of attempted murder of a peace officer, assault with a machine gun on a peace officer, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, possession of a machine gun, and possession of a firearm by an offender. If found guilty, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison under California’s “three strikes” law.
Community and Law Enforcement Response
George Gascón, the Los Angeles County district attorney, denounced the attack, saying: “This unprovoked attack is a sobering reminder of the dangers that our law enforcement officers face.” “I didn’t realize how much some of it was going to tear at my heart,” she said, referring to the three police uniforms hanging framed on the wall, a symbolic gesture to those on the front lines.
Ongoing Investigation
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. The case highlights the dangers of routine police work while raising ongoing concerns about armed offenders committing violent crimes.
