Ryan Clinkunbroomer: Authorities identify suspect in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy

CNN
 — 

After an hourslong standoff, a 29-year-old man suspected of gunning down a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested.

Kevin Cataneo Salazar is accused of ambushing and killing Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, as the deputy was in his patrol car at an intersection Saturday, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Salazar surrendered after deputies deployed chemical agents at his home Monday.

The sheriff has described the deputy’s killer as a “coward” who took Clinkunbroomer’s life “while he’s sitting at a red light, waiting to serve our community.”

The deputy, who’d gotten engaged only four days earlier, was found unconscious by a civilian around 6 p.m. and pronounced dead at a hospital, Luna said.

Widely circulated video captured a vehicle – described as a 2006 to 2012 dark gray Toyota Corolla – driving next to Clinkunbroomer’s patrol vehicle, Luna said. The sheriff’s department had also released photos of what it called a “vehicle of interest.”

“Community members came forward with information that led homicide detectives to identify the suspect and the vehicle used in the murder of Deputy Clinkunbroomer,” the sheriff said Monday.

The shooting appears to have been targeted, Luna said, though it’s not known why the gunman killed Clinkunbroomer or what motivated the attack.

“Why he did this – I have no idea,” the sheriff said. “Was (the deputy) targeted? I’m assuming he was.”

There have been 83 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement in 2023, with 101 officers shot – 15 of them fatally, according to a September 5 report from the Fraternal Order of Police.

Saturday’s killing came three years after two Los Angeles deputies were shot ambush-style at a train station while sitting in their patrol vehicle.

Even though a suspect is in custody, Luna said, the investigation is ongoing, and he urged the public to continue providing any photos, video or information about the deadly attack on Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

Clinkunbroomer was a beloved member of the sheriff’s department, “was just starting his life,” the sheriff said.

The deputy had been with the department for eight years and transferred to the Palmdale sheriff’s station in 2018. He was serving as a field training officer.

His father and grandfather both served in the sheriff’s department, Luna said.

“Service was running through his veins. He embodied the values of bravery, selflessness and was committed to justice,” Luna said in a Facebook post. “Our deputy was a devoted family member and a cherished community member.”