Calif. Police Officer Attacked in Cruiser in 'Unprovoked' Assault

An police officer was treated at a hospital Friday after being attacked by a pedestrian at a stoplight in southeast Oakland, police said.

Two officers traveling west on International Boulevard were stopped at a traffic light at 104th Avenue around 3:30 p.m. when a person approached their vehicle and began punching the officer sitting in the right side passenger seat, said Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association.

The officers left the vehicle and arrested the assailant, the police union said. The injured officer was taken to a nearby hospital and released a few hours later.

The motive for the assault is unclear.

Nguyen said the assault underscores a staffing shortage at the Oakland Police Department and broader concerns about a lack of public safety in the city.

He added that many Oakland residents and others who work in the city feel unsafe and are vulnerable to "unprovoked" attacks.

"Our communities are seeing this every day, our officers are seeing this every day," he said. "The challenge is that the leadership in this city doesn't see that or think it's a significant issue."

Nguyen said the incident also reflects the need for more resources. Oakland is grappling with a $89 million shortfall to its general fund, and city leaders have responded by proposing cutting the police department's overtime budget by about $25 million and eliminating about $1 million in spending from the city's economic workforce and development community ambassador program, as well as canceling two police academy classes for the coming year.

"There's no way we can navigate (the challenges affecting Oakland) if we can't respond when people call because we don't have the resources," Nguyen said. "People on the street know that. It empowers them to commit crimes, knowing we don't have enough officers."

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