Murder Suspect Live Streams Shootout With LAPD, Officer Hit

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — An officer and a murder suspect were both hit in a shootout near LAX Thursday morning following a high-speed chase, and the suspect streamed the entire incident on Facebook Live.

The injured officer was shot in the hip and transported to a Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in stable condition, said Los Angeles Police Officer Wendy Reyes. Broadcast footage from the scene showed the officer talking and alert as paramedics treated him. According LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, the officer, a 20-year LAPD veteran and member of the SWAT Team, had been wearing body armor when he was hit. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The murder suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds and is undergoing surgery, Beck said. The man is one of four suspects tied to a March 31 gang-related homicide, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. In the video, which has since been removed, the suspect is seen holding a handgun and he later says, "They're about to kill me ... they got me," before the video ends, according to ABC7.

A police spokesman says the suspect was in surgery as of midday.

"I don’t know the condition of the suspect at this time," Reyes added.

The video is now part of the investigation, according to LAPD Officer Sal Ramirez.

The shooting happened shortly before 10 a.m. near Aviation and El Segundo boulevards in El Segundo, according to NBC.

Los Angeles police were serving warrants shortly before 10 a.m. near 117th Street and Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles, seeking four suspects wanted in connection with a March 31 gang-related homicide in the southwest area of the city, Beck said.

While trying to serve the warrants, the officers spotted one of the suspects driving off in a blue car, prompting a chase that ended near El Segundo and Aviation boulevards.

"That pursuit led to this location where the individual who was wanted for the murder that occurred in Southwest area fled from his vehicle armed with a handgun," Beck said at the scene.

"A gunfight ensued between the individual and the pursuing officers, resulting in one of our SWAT officers being shot in the hip, and the individual who was wanted for murder ... (sustaining) multiple gunshot wounds."

Beck described the confrontation as a rolling gun battle, with "three independent shooting" sites. He said it was too early to know exactly how many shots were fired, but at least four LAPD officers were involved, along with Hawthorne police officers who responded to the scene.

The LAPD went on a citywide tactical alert following the shooting. By early afternoon, the tactical alert was later limited to include only the LAPD's South Bureau. The alert allows the department to keep officers on duty beyond their usual shifts.

City News Service contributed to this report.