#Protesters calling for ambushed deputies’ death are ‘almost worthy of ISIS,’ sheriff says

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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a news conference.
AP

LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the anti-police protesters who descended on a hospital where two deputies were being treated after being shot in an ambush – chanting “we hope they die” – are “almost worthy of ISIS,” according to a report.

“It’s just a new low for the hatred that I don’t think anyone in this nation has ever seen before,” Villanueva said on Fox News.

“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,” he added.

The two deputies – Claudia Apolinar, 31, and her 24-year-old male partner – were shot multiple times at close range as they sat in their patrol car in a chilling caught-on-video ambush.

The sheriff’s department is offering a $175,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the unknown gunman.

The sick protesters who blocked the entrance to St. Francis Medical Center where the deputies fought for their lives chanted: “We hope they f—- die!”

On Monday, the sheriff challenged NBA star LeBron James to match and double the reward money being offered for information on the gunman.

“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,” Villanueva said.

“And I appreciated that. But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all professions,” he added.

On Tuesday, Villanueva said he had yet to hear from LeBron about the challenge, but that the hoopster 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.

“I think that is just flat out not the case. I think we need to hold those accountable for breaking the law, be it law enforcement when we are crossing the line, but, then we have to acknowledge the bigger problem of violence overall and this ambush, cowardly ambush, of the two deputies just doing their own job, doing their business there in Compton, really illustrates that,” Villanueva said.