Applause for California Police Officer as He Leaves Hospital Following Shooting

Friends, family and law enforcement greeted a Modesto police officer with a round of applause as he was released from hospital and into further care on September 5 following a shooting while on duty.

Officer Michael “Mikey” Rokaitis, from the Modesto Police Department, was shot twice while serving a search warrant on August 14. As a result of his injuries, his right leg had to be amputated.

The incident began, police said, when a Modesto Police traffic officer saw a motorcyclist driving recklessly near West Orangeburg Avenue and Enslen Avenue. After searching the suspect and finding drugs, officers obtained a search warrant for his home. When they arrived, a man allegedly began shooting the officers, who returned fire.

Police said the suspect, 42-year-old Jesse James Brooks, of Modesto, had been charged with three counts of attempted murder.

Rokaitis and the suspect were transported to a local hospital. The suspect had received minor injuries.

Video shows Rokaitis greeted by a long line of friends, family and law enforcement on September 5, as he was being transferred from Memorial Medical Center to a care facility.

The Modesto Police Department said that at the care facility Rokaitis will “continue to build strength and recover before heading home”. Credit: Modesto Police Department via Storyful