PALM SPRINGS, Calif. _ The suspect in the killing of two Palm Springs police officers and wounded another was wearing body armor and equipped with high capacity magazines when he was taken into custody, authorities said.
SWAT officers made several attempts over the course of a 12-hour standoff to make contact with suspect John Felix, 26, who was holed up in his family's residence, authorities said at a Sunday morning news conference. But there was no response.
Remote-controlled robots were eventually used to pinpoint the suspect's location in the house, and chemical agents were then deployed into the residence, authorities said.
"Almost immediately ... the suspect emerged out the back door," said Riverside County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ray Wood. "When he emerged, he was wearing soft body armor and he had a number of high-capacity magazines on his person."
Felix was not armed and surrendered peacefully when he was taken into custody about 1 a.m., authorities said. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening.
He was expected to be booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on two counts of murder of a peace officer.
The officers killed were identified as Officer Jose "Gil" Vega, a 35-year veteran of the department who was due to retire in December, and Officer Lesley Zerebny, who had been with the department 1 { years and was the mother of a 4-month-old girl.
During Sunday's news conference, an emotional Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes spoke about the loss of his officers and the impact on the community.
He spoke of how Vega, who was working overtime, on Saturday, was scheduled to retire in December, and about watching Zerebny's husband, a Riverside sheriff's deputy, mourn his wife's loss.
"To see her laying there with her eyes open, and to witness her husband, in full Riverside Sheriff's uniform, kiss her on the forehead for the last time, it's tough," Reyes said, his voice quivering. "We're going to rely on you to help get us through this. Our community will get us through this."
Reyes said the third officer who was wounded in Saturday night's attack was doing well and assisting investigators. He said the officer could be released from the hospital sometime Sunday.
