A police officer was injured Wednesday in a shooting near the Santa Monica Place Mall, prompting a search for the suspect — who is also suspected in a Sunday night shooting that injured two juveniles in a Waymo vehicle.
Santa Monica police issued an alert around 1:30 p.m., urging the public to avoid Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, where the mall is located. Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said on social media that the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
It was unclear if the suspect was injured, but police from Santa Monica, Los Angeles and El Segundo descended on the area to conduct a thorough search, including assistance from at least one search dog.
Police described the suspect as a man in his 30s, last seen wearing a dark jacket and black pants. A photo of the suspect was posted on the department’s social media account.
Police declared the area around the mall cleared around 2:30 p.m., but an active search was continuing on neighboring streets. Negrete and police urged people to avoide the area.
In an interview with KTLA5, Negrete said the suspect involved in the shooting is believed to be the same person who opened fire at a driverless Waymo vehicle on Sunday night near Second Street and Broadway in Santa Monica, injuring two juveniles inside.
Santa Monica police Lt. Lewis Gilmour said that shooting was believed to have been the result of an earlier verbal altercation between the victims and the suspect.