A Sunday morning police chase in downtown Los Angeles led to a patrol car crashing into a “fixed object” and officers shooting a motorist.
Officers said they saw a “reckless driver” around 9 a.m. in the Rampart area and attempted a traffic stop. The driver, a man in his 30s, did not stop and officers pursued him, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The chase was stopped when the police cruiser collided with what was described only as a “fixed object” at 12th Street and Broadway. The officers in the patrol car suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The chase resumed after an LAPD helicopter spotted the driver, who had stopped his car and fled near 12th and Hooper streets, police said.
Officers said they saw the driver was “armed with a gun” and shooting began. Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im could not clarify whether the officers or the suspect initiated the shooting.
The suspect was beaten. He was later hospitalized and was in stable condition as of Sunday afternoon, according to police.
I can't say what object the officers hit with their patrol car.
“Those details are not available at this time,” he said.
