Newly released LAPD footage captures the split-second chaos of a violent Boyle Heights shootout, showing a fleeing suspect pull a handgun and fire at officers before one cop is struck in the chest and knocked backward.
The dramatic video lays out the entire confrontation, from a police pursuit to a crash, a foot chase and a burst of gunfire that left an officer wounded and the suspect critically injured.
The incident began around 1:47 p.m. on June 9, when officers from the LAPD Newton and Hollenbeck Patrol Divisions attempted to stop a gray pickup truck near Washington Boulevard and Alameda Street over a missing or altered temporary license plate.
The driver refused to stop, leading officers on a pursuit captured by dashboard cameras.
The footage shows the pickup weaving through traffic as police sirens blare before the truck crashes into an embankment on Garnet Street near Marietta Street in Boyle Heights.
Then came the moment caught on body cam.
The suspect climbs out of the wrecked truck and runs from officers.
As police close in, the video shows him turning around, pulling out a handgun and firing multiple rounds toward the pursuing officers.
One officer is hit in the chest and thrown backward by the impact, but the bullet strikes his ballistic vest, saving him from a potentially fatal injury.
“Thankfully, he had a ballistic vest on, which saved his life,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said on June 9.
Other officers immediately draw their weapons and return fire, striking the suspect and ending the confrontation at the scene.
The suspect was left in critical condition following the gun battle.
The LAPD video briefing also shows evidence recovered after the shooting, including the suspect’s handgun, the bullet impact on the officer’s body armor and damage to a patrol vehicle.
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