GUNMAN OPENS FIRE ON A LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT SQUAD CAR NEARLY MISSING OFFICERS INSIDE

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT

A gunman opened fire on a Los Angeles police cruiser Sunday night — narrowly missing the officers seated inside, authorities said.

Authorities captured one man and looked for a second suspect after the incident near Hoover and 62nd streets in South LA at about 9:30 p.m. local time.

“One of our officers returned fire, and the two individuals who had shot at the officers fled into the neighborhood,” LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar said.

That neighborhood search for the second suspect was called shortly before 6 a.m.

“We do not have a face or a name. There are leads that investigators are following up on,” Aguilar said. “This is obviously a dangerous individual who does not belong on the streets of Los Angeles.”

The officers were not injured and returned fire at the suspect. A rifle was recovered, officials said.

The patrol car was headed south on Hoover Street, about three miles from the University of Southern California, when gunfire erupted, police said.

“It was a completely unprovoked attack,” LAPD Capt. Lillian Carranza said.

LAPD community relations have been particularly tense since August, when officers shot and killed Ezell Ford, a mentally disturbed, 25-year-old black man.

Ford was unarmed, but police said he reached for an officer’s gun, prompting that cop’s partner to open fire. Ford’s family disputes that there was any physical struggle before the fatal shooting.

An autopsy report on Ford’s Aug. 11 death is expected to be released this week.
Ford suffered from depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, his family said. He was known to wander the streets of his South LA neighborhood, bumming smokes from bystanders.

LAPD brass said the slayings of two Brooklyn cops earlier this month has them on high alert.

“Obviously, with what happened in New York and what we know is a sentiment right now nationwide, when you put on a uniform, you’re very much aware that there are some currents of anger toward police,” Aguilar said. “We’re aware that we could be a target for individuals that are angry at law enforcement right now.”