Reports on two deputy-involved shootings that occurred in and near the Santa Clarita Valley in January have been released by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the County of Los Angeles.
The Office of the Inspector General for the County of Los Angeles released a report of Reform and Oversight Efforts for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), which includes an analysis of deputy-involved shootings in and around the Santa Clarita Valley in the last three months.
This quarter, there were eight deputy-involved shootings in which people were shot or shot at by LASD personnel throughout the County, five of which were fatal.
Two of these incidents, taking place on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, were previously reported on by KHTS.
Jan. 8 – Bouquet Canyon & Spunky Canyon Roads
At around 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, 49-year-old Sheila Ann Ashley, a former nurse from Palmdale, was found stabbed at the intersection of Bouquet Canyon Road and Spunky Canyon Road, in the unincorporated community several miles north of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Just a few hours later, at around 7:40 a.m., deputies from the LASD Palmdale Station at the scene became involved in a deputy-involved shooting at the same location.
According to the OIG report, Homicide Bureau Investigators at the scene heard a noise from behind a chain link fence adjacent to the crime scene. When deputies investigated, they discovered 44-year-old Alon Oneil Foster behind the fence, armed with a knife.
Deputies cut an opening in the fence and verbally engaged Foster, issuing commands to drop the knife, to which he refused to comply, according to the OIG report.
“The deputies attempted to de-escalate the situation by talking with the suspect for approximately 20-30 minutes. At some point, (Foster) advanced toward the deputies, at which time a reserve deputy deployed a 40mm less-lethal round, to no effect. (Foster) then charged other deputies, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred with six deputies firing a total of 46 rounds,” read the OIG report.
No deputies were injured, and it was later determined that Foster was the main suspect in the homicide.
Ashley and Foster had been in an on-and-off relationship for years, and Foster had previously been convicted of domestic violence against a “Sheila A.” in 2017, according to court records.
The arrest was connected to a 2014 incident where Foster dragged Sheila A. by her hair hard enough to pull out a chunk, slapped her hard enough to break her glasses, and then repeatedly punched her in the face and strangled her, according to court records.
The LASD reported that all deputies involved in the shooting had activated their body-worn cameras in compliance with Department policy.
The OIG reported that it had several follow-up questions pertaining to the deputy-involved shooting investigation, including, “Why were there so many deputies involved in the use of lethal force and why were so many rounds fired?”
Jan. 11 – Valencia Town Center
At approximately 11 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, a deputy with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to a trespassing call regarding a man sleeping near the first-floor entrance to Macy’s at the Valencia Town Center.
“The dispatcher had information that the suspect had threatened people and was uncooperative with mall security personnel, which was not relayed to the responding deputy or to another deputy who was en route as backup,” according to the OIG report.
The first deputy at the scene approached the man and asked him to leave the area. Body camera footage of the incident shows the man, later identified as 50-year-old Christopher Lee Mercutio, advancing on the deputy while threatening to kill her.
“The suspect punched the deputy in the face, and the deputy then punched the suspect. While the altercation resulted in distance between the deputy and the suspect, the suspect continued advancing on the deputy, at which point the deputy fired two rounds at the man,” read the OIG report.
A second deputy soon arrived at the scene, closely followed by medical personnel who treated Mercutio at the scene and transported him to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and died.
The involved deputy was also treated for her injuries and later released from the hospital.
Footage of the incident was captured by the deputy’s body-worn camera, as well as on CCTV footage at the Valencia Town Center.
Mercutio was determined to have been unarmed during the deputy-involved shooting, prompting the California Department of Justice police shooting investigation team to take over the investigation in accordance with state law.
The OIG reported that it had several follow-up questions pertaining to the deputy-involved shooting investigation, including, “Why don’t the dispatcher provide the deputies with all known information regarding the man’s threatening behavior?”
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Perhaps the OIG & committee should respond to calls and let deputies take phone reports.
What are the Findings? Conclusions? Issues? Corrective Actions?
What is the purpose of the report?