On July 4th, 2000, at the Santa Monica Pier, Officer Cristina Coria with the Santa Monica Police Department was shot in her left arm during a hostage standoff. The perpetrators, who were wanted for murder, began firing into the crowd. She could hear bullets whizzing past her head before one struck her arm. She sustained an almost career-ending injury to her left arm. The 9mm bullet fractured her humerus and shattered her radius, leaving her partially paralyzed in her hand.
After a year and a month of intense training and rehabilitation, Officer Coria regained the use of her arm and hand, though she still cannot fully supinate or pronate. Despite this limitation, she returned to work and served another eight years, completing a 15-year career with the Santa Monica Police Department. Additionally, she appeared on season 13 of Survivor & worked as a technical consultant on the movie "Angel Eyes" with Jennifer Lopez.