Daily Sundial

Four male suspects fired at a Los Angeles Police officer after the officer pulled them over for speeding near the intersection of Tampa Avenue and Lassen Street in Northridge Feb. 9, according to LAPD officials.

The suspects allegedly fired at the officer through the back window of their vehicle as the officer approached the vehicle at around 10:30 a.m., said Detective Al Aldaz. The officer was not hit and did not return fire.

The officer, who was working alone on Tampa Avenue, managed to dive to the ground after one of the suspects allegedly pulled out a gun. The officer attempted to chase the vehicle, but it sped off out of sight.

LAPD would not reveal the name of the officer.

Police searched over a 10 square- mile radius with more than 100 police officers for an older white vehicle, possibly a Toyota, with four Hispanic male occupants, Aldaz said. The back window of the vehicle is believed to have bullet holes or has been shot out completely. The suspects are believed to be armed and dangerous. The search was called off a few hours later on Feb. 9.

The officer was examined at the Northridge Hospital and later released. The officer is a 10-year LAPD veteran and was working out of the Valley traffic division when the shooting occurred.

The neighborhood is usually pretty safe, a resident said.

“This is a quiet little community,” said Ana Concha, a neighborhood resident “Very family oriented. You can never be too safe anywhere. Danger comes to you.”

A vehicle matching the description was found in a Van Nuys area parking lot Friday, said traffic division officials. The vehicle has not been established as the one involved in the shooting. Glass fragments were found near a bump in the parking lot where the vehicle was found.

This is the fifth unprovoked shooting in the city of Los Angeles since the beginning of the year, said robbery and homicide officials.