Officer Shoots Transient in the Mouth During Scuffle at Carpenters Local
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SANTA ANA — A police officer, called to remove a transient from a union office Friday, shot the 50-year-old man in the mouth after he punched the officer in the face, police said.
Police responded about 3:10 p.m. to the Carpenter’s Union Local 1815, 2829 W. 1st St., Lt. Earl Porter said.
Union members there directed them to the south side of the building, where Thomas D. Scott was refusing to leave, Porter said.
After talking to officers, Scott agreed to go but then began talking incoherently and “without warning punched an officer in the face,” Porter said.
The officer fired once, Porter said. The transient was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was in critical condition.
The officer’s name was not released pending an investigation by Santa Ana police and the Orange County district attorney’s office, which routinely investigates all officer-involved shootings.
Scott had two outstanding warrants of $10,000 each for charges of assault and trespassing, Porter said.
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