A young man was arrested and a second suspect was being sought today for allegedly opening fire on a pair of Los Angeles Police Department officers in a cruiser in South Los Angeles, putting the entire department on heightened alert.
An 18-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to LAPD Officer Liliana Preciado. The second suspect being sought was believed to be in his mid-20s.
The shooting occurred about 9:25 p.m. Sunday near 62nd and Hoover streets. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the officers were in their patrol car when they “observed muzzle flashes and heard gunshots coming from two male pedestrians.”
“The officers believed they were the object of an attack and returned fire,” Beck said. “Neither the officers nor the suspects were struck by gunfire and a suspect was captured after a search of the area. A pistol, a rifle and multiple shell casings were also recovered.”
The shooting came as police across the country were on stepped-up alert in response to the Dec. 20 killings of two New York City police officers who were sitting in a patrol car in Brooklyn. The gunman, who later killed himself, said he was exacting revenge for the death of black men killed by police in Staten Island and in Ferguson, Missouri.
The LAPD went on tactical alert for more than eight hours following the South Los Angeles shooting. The alert was later modified to affect only the southwest area stations of 77th Street, Southwest, Southeast and Harbor. A tactical alert allows officers to be kept on duty after the scheduled conclusion of their shifts.
A perimeter was set up from Gage Avenue to 61st Street and between Hoover Street and Vermont Avenue, with the search continuing until early this morning before the perimeter was broken down, police said.
