(NationalUSNews.com) — An officer who responded to a call reporting a terrorist threat is injured, as is the suspect accused of making the threat. The incident occurred at an In Shape Family Fitness gym in California, and it’s unclear if the incident resulted in any fatalities.
According to a statement from authorities, a customer at the gym started making threats to people in the gym before walking towards the exit. Police were already on the scene when the suspect exited the gym and confronted him. The details surrounding the confrontation remain undisclosed, but a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson described the encounter as a “lethal-force” confrontation. The suspect and an officer both sustained injuries from the encounter and were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
According to a witness to the encounter, medical services lifted the injured officer into a helicopter before flying him to a hospital. The witness described hearing a loud bang during the confrontation, and other reports indicate that the suspect stabbed the injured officer. Police haven’t confirmed the details surrounding the violent confrontation, but multiple media outlets in California are reporting the incident as a stabbing.
Media outlets like KTLA and Victor Valley News Group published reports about the terroristic threat call, indicating the suspect stabbed the officer before being shot. Police haven’t released any details about the severity of the injuries sustained from the encounter.
Some reports also indicate that terroristic threats made by the suspect relate to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but these claims are unsubstantiated. The primary concern is that the violent incident is another instance of a religiously motivated hate crime, an occurrence that is becoming more frequent within the United States and California.
California authorities are currently investigating a recent hit-and-run, which injured a Muslim woman, as a hate crime. The alleged hate crime occurred near Stanford’s campus, and the driver responsible for hitting the woman yelled a slur at the victim during the incident, according to local media outlets.
The growing hate crime rates throughout the United States are concerning to many American lawmakers, including President Joe Biden, who called for colleges like Stanford to take active measures to prevent violence against people due to their race, religion, or culture.
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