Police said the officer’s ballistic vest stopped a round during the shootout.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles police officer was wounded and an armed suspect was hospitalized Tuesday after a pursuit ended in a shootout on a residential Boyle Heights street, police said.
The shooting followed a chase that began after officers tried to stop a pickup truck connected to a man seen with a gun, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. The officer suffered injuries that were not life-threatening after a bullet struck his ballistic vest. The suspect, whose name had not been released, was shot by police and taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The pursuit began at about 1:47 p.m. after officers from the Newton Division saw a man with a gun in a pickup truck near Washington and Alameda boulevards, McDonnell said. Police tried to stop the truck, but the driver kept going. Aerial footage showed the pickup moving through Boyle Heights at high speed, sometimes on the wrong side of the road, before the chase reached the area near Garnet Street and Marietta Street shortly after 2 p.m. McDonnell said the suspect crashed into a fence or curbside brush, got out and ran. “As he was running, he was firing on the officers,” McDonnell said. “One officer was struck in the chest at least once.”
McDonnell said the officer’s vest stopped the bullet and “saved his life.” Other officers returned fire and struck the suspect. The chief said the suspect continued firing as officers chased him on foot after the crash. Police recovered a handgun near where the suspect fell, and investigators placed evidence markers across the pavement. Video from the scene showed paramedics treating the officer and the suspect before both were taken from the area by ambulance. The officer was seen speaking with paramedics and pointing toward his chest. The suspect appeared to be responsive at one point after the shooting, but police later said he was in critical condition and undergoing surgery.
Police had not released the suspect’s name, age or city of residence by Tuesday evening. They also had not said how many officers fired their weapons or how many rounds were fired by police or by the suspect. McDonnell said detectives were still working to identify the man and sort through the scene. He said investigators had a large amount of physical evidence to review, including shell casings and video. “There are a lot of casings out there,” McDonnell said. “From what I saw in the video, he fired first.” Police said detectives also were reviewing body-worn camera footage as part of the investigation.
The shooting shut down a neighborhood area close to the freeway and left police vehicles, crime scene tape and evidence markers near homes and parked cars. Boyle Heights sits east of downtown Los Angeles and is patrolled by LAPD’s Hollenbeck Area, though the pursuit began with Newton Division officers. The chase started during the afternoon, when traffic, pedestrians and residents were active in the neighborhood. McDonnell said the suspect’s actions created a danger beyond the officers who were chasing him. “Looking at the suspect’s actions, anyone in the community could have been taken out by his actions, so we are very thankful,” he said.
The incident will be reviewed under LAPD procedures for shootings involving officers. Those reviews usually include detectives, department command staff and oversight officials who examine the use of force, body-camera video, witness statements and forensic evidence. Police did not announce charges Tuesday because the suspect remained hospitalized. Any criminal filing decision would come after investigators present the case to prosecutors. McDonnell said officers from three or four police cruisers were involved in the foot chase after the crash, but officials had not yet released the names of the officers involved or the wounded officer’s assignment.
Television helicopter video showed the pickup stopped after the crash and officers moving into the area with weapons drawn. A handgun could be seen on the ground, marked off as evidence. Dozens of yellow markers were visible nearby. McDonnell praised the wounded officer’s actions and said the officer was expected to recover. “It looks at this point that he’s going to be OK,” the chief said. “Our officer put everything on the line to take the suspect into custody.” Police said the investigation remained active through the afternoon and evening as detectives worked at the scene.
As of Tuesday evening, the officer was expected to survive and the suspect remained hospitalized. Police said the next major steps include identifying the suspect, completing evidence collection and reviewing body-worn camera footage from the pursuit and shooting.
Author note: Last updated June 9, 2026.