DOWNEY, Calif. — Three young men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing a California police officer and former Marine in what investigators described as a botched robbery.
Downey police Officer Ricardo Galvez, 29, was in plainclothes in the driver’s seat of his car at the end of his shift when two men ran up and opened fire late Wednesday, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lieutenant John Corina said.
Corina said two men in their 20s and a juvenile were out looking for someone to rob when they spotted Galvez.
‘‘They were attempting to rob Officer Galvez not realizing he was a police officer,’’ Corina said. ‘‘I don’t even think he saw these guys coming up on him.’’
Another officer heard the gunshots and pursued the attackers as they fled town. Investigators said they arrested the getaway driver shortly afterward and detained a number of other people after SWAT officers swept surrounding neighborhoods.
The other two arrests were announced later. The names of the suspects were not released.
Corina said detectives knew quickly that Galvez was shot in a targeted, deliberate attack.
‘‘It appeared to be an ambush style. It happened very quickly,’’ Corina said after viewing surveillance video of the shooting.
‘‘Words cannot express the love we have for Ricky,’’ said Downey Police Chief Carl Charles.