PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Police have released the name of the man suspected of opening fire on officers, wounding one, during a traffic stop early Tuesday morning on Lincoln Boulevard.
Dante Glenn Leverette, 32, of Los Angeles is expected to be booked on suspicion of trying to kill a police officer, said Santa Monica Police Sgt. Jay Trisler. Leverette was hospitalized Tuesday with gunshot wounds and dog bites. He has been placed under a police watch.
Leverette was in a vehicle driven by a 46-year-old man from Ohio, who was released without being charged after cooperating with police, Trisler said. The driver’s name was not made public. Police initially said the car was stopped because the driver was believed to be drunk or intoxicated.
Trisler said Leverette had an extensive criminal record but did not elaborate.
A search of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate information website showed Leverette was arrested in February and charged with possession of cocaine for sale and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Sources said Leverette was free on bail for a grand theft auto case when he was arrested by the LAPD for the drug and weapon charges.
Officers made a traffic stop on Lincoln Boulevard near Bay Street about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday and shortly afterward, Leverette allegedly got out of the car, shot at officers and fled the scene. A 16-year veteran of the force was hit in the abdomen, just below his bullet proof vest, Trisler said. The name of the officer was not made public.
A search of the area involving SWAT, K-9 officers and police from various agencies including the Beverly Hills, Culver City Inglewood and Gardena police departments, ended with at least one officer wounding Leverette about 5:10 a.m. He was also bitten by a police dog during the arrest.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
