The Votes Are In!
2024 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → Crime May 01, 2023
An LAPD transit security vehicle. | Photo courtesy of Akino601/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
by
share with
A man accused of biting off part of a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant’s finger during an assault at a Metro B (Red) Line station was charged Monday with aggravated mayhem.
Ephraim Okorie, 36, was also charged with two felony counts of assault on a peace officer or firefighter, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
He was expected to appear in court Monday, but it was unclear if the arraignment occurred.
According to the LAPD, officers were on routine patrol on the Red Line train around 10:15 a.m. Thursday when they allegedly spotted Okorie in possession of drug paraphernalia. Police approached the Okorie and escorted him off the train at the Vermont/Santa Monica Station.
Police said that after Okorie was taken off the train, he “became violent and fought with the officers,” and during the ensuing struggle, Okorie bit off a portion of a finger of an LAPD sergeant.
The sergeant and Okorie were both taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
“I’m deeply disturbed by the vicious and gruesome attack on our sergeant as he and other officers were simply conducting routine patrol of the transit line,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement. “We remain committed to our work each day to improve the safety of the entire transit system with dedicated patrol engaging.”
Okorie was being held in lieu of $130,000 bail, according to jail records.
