A Los Angeles police officer suffered a gunshot to his ballistic vest and an allegedly armed suspect was wounded Tuesday after the suspect and police exchanged gunfire at the end of a stolen car pursuit in Boyle Heights.
A round hit the officer in the chest but his protective vest absorbed the force of the bullet, and the officer was listed in stable condition, according to law enforcement sources.
During the series of gunshots at the end of a pursuit of a stolen vehicle, the driver of the fleeing car was also hit in the chest, sources told The Times. The suspect’s condition is unknown.
Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Mike Bland said he could not confirm where the officer was hit, but the officer is expected to be okay.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that investigators are still trying to determine the sequence of shots and if the shots from the suspect or other police hit the officer. A gun, according to sources, was recovered at the scene. What seemed to be a gun was marked by investigators along with a series of other evidence markers at the scene.
The pursuit had begun in South Los Angeles and ended near Marietta and Garnet streets at about 2:15 p.m. Helicopter footage from KTLA captured images of a man lying on the ground, moving before officers with guns drawn moved in and apprehended him.
Paramedics could be seen helping the injured officer and removing a bloody male suspect in separate ambulances.
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