LOS ANGELES — Protesters showing up at the hospital treating two deputies who were shot in an ambush and calling for their death is “something almost worthy of ISIS across the globe,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Tuesday.
“It’s just a new low for the hatred that I don’t think anyone in this nation has ever seen before,” Villanueva told “America’s Newsroom.”
“We just don’t expect it on our own shores and we have been here fighting to save people’s lives across the county – it doesn’t matter who you are and it is not something we are going to expect or tolerate,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva on Monday challenged NBA star LeBron James to match and double the reward money, which is currently up to $200,000, that is being offered for information on the gunman who ambushed and shot two deputies over the weekend.
“This challenge is to LeBron James. I want you to match that and double that reward,” Villanueva said. “I know you care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting statement about your perspective on race relations and on officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African American community.
“And I appreciated that,” he continued. “But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all professions.”
Villanueva on Tuesday said he had yet to hear from LeBron regarding his challenge, but that the NBA star needs “to take some ownership of exactly what he said in terms of propagating the idea that people are being hunted” due to the color of their skin, FOX reported.
