California authorities searching for suspect after LAPD officer shot during traffic stop

KABC-TV(LOS ANGELES) — An LAPD officer was shot and injured while exchanging gunfire with a suspect in South Los Angeles Saturday night.

The officer, a gang officer in the Newton area, was conducting a traffic stop near Long Beach Avenue and 52nd Street when the driver got out and fled, according to the LAPD. The officer chased the suspect up to 150 yards before “another man appeared” and began shooting, police said.

Both the officer and that suspect were struck by gunfire, police said.

The injured officer, who was not identified, was out of surgery by Sunday morning, ABC Los Angeles station KABC-TV reported. He is in stable condition, police said.

The condition of the suspect, who was transported to a local hospital, is unknown.

Police initially thought there were two occupants in the car that was stopped and set up a perimeter around the scene. They later discontinued the search after determining that the suspect who was injured, the one who appeared during the foot pursuit, was the one who shot the officer.

Investigators are still trying to identify the driver of the car.

Additional information was not immediately available.

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