A man carjacked an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department bucket truck early Wednesday morning while a sheriff’s deputy was precariously positioned high above the ground in the bucket, authorities said.
The suspect conducted a hostile takeover of a 2011 White Ford F550 utility bucket truck on the corner of Spring and Temple streets at 5:40 a.m. while two deputies were in the vehicle, according to a department bulletin. Authorities are now searching for the suspect and the stolen vehicle, which has the deputies’ personal and county-issued cellphones inside, the bulletin stated.
A bucket truck, also known as a cherry picker, is a vehicle equipped with a hydraulic lift system and an extendable arm that ends in a bucket where a person can stand. It’s used to lift workers to hard-to-reach areas.
Two undercover deputies were using the truck to remove concealed cameras when a man believed to be in his 20s jumped into the vehicle, said he had to go to the hospital and began to drive away, law enforcement sources told The Times.
When the carjacking took place, one of the deputies was suspended in the bucket.
The other deputy, seated in the passenger area, realized his colleague was in danger and was able to lower the bucket to the ground, allowing his partner to jump from the truck. The second deputy then also jumped from the truck, according to law enforcement sources.
The Sheriff’s Department is looking for the stolen truck and the suspect, who was described as a Black male, 6 feet, 2 inches tall,180 pounds and with a shaven head. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, according to the department’s bulletin.
