A Los Angeles Police Department pursuit in Watts Wednesday ended with at least one officer opening fire and injuring a suspect wanted for a previous crime.
Officers from the Southeast Division began following the vehicle around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday near East 113th Street and Compton Avenue, after a check of the license plate indicated the owner was wanted in connection with an unspecified felony, police said.
The brief pursuit led officers onto the Central Avenue on-ramp to the eastbound Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway, where the suspect made a U-turn, stopped the vehicle facing the police vehicle, then exited the vehicle, and began running westbound along the off-ramp, police said.
During the short foot chase, the suspect allegedly reached into a backpack, prompting an officer — fearing the person might be retrieving a weapon — to open fire around 2:30 p.m. near the on-ramp, striking the suspect, Detective Meghan Aguilar said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, but the person’s condition was not immediately known.
Aguilar said officers retrieved the suspect’s backpack and determined there was no weapon inside.
No officers sustained injuries while shots were fired.