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ENCINO (CNS) - A volunteer Los Angeles police officer who was repeatedly stung when hundreds of bees swarmed an Encino neighborhood remained hospitalized Tuesday.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the unidentified volunteer and his partner had stopped Monday afternoon to perform traffic- control duties near the 17100 block of West Adlon Road, where fire crews had responded to reports of a person being stung by bees.
The swarm of bees rapidly expanded, soon involving hundreds, if not thousands, of bees centered around a hive in eaves of a home nearby.
One patient was initially transported to a hospital for treatment of multiple stings, but then the LAPD volunteer was surrounded by bees. He was seen on video trying to swat away the bees, eventually falling to the ground as they swarmed and stung him.
"He attempted to swat the bees away but was stung multiple times in the face and eyes, causing him to lose his footing and fall to the ground," according to an LAPD statement.
He was also taken to a hospital for treatment of the stings and a fractured eye socket, police said. He remained hospitalized Monday for "further treatment and observation," police said.
Due to the size of the swarm, fire officials urged residents to remain indoors with their windows and doors closed while a beekeeping company was called to the scene.
Izak Kharrazi of All Valley Honey & Bee told CBS2 at the scene Monday the swarm was bigger and more aggressive than he anticipated.
"There is like a cloud of hundreds of bees over there," he told the station. "I said, `oh boy' ... that's why right away I put my gear on, because I can see them. They're mad as could be.
He added, "This is not a normal behavior for these bees to be this angry, to want to kill you. This is not OK."