One suspect is injured after a car chase turned into an officer-involved shooting early Monday in Highland Park.
Another suspect is in custody and the injured one was transported to a local hospital where he is in stable condition, said an information officer during a press conference Monday. No officers were injured in the incident.
The suspects in the car fired at LAPD officers from the northeast division who began to pursue the white Honda Civic they were driving. The officers had noticed the white Honda and checked the status of the car which reported back as stolen.
The incident is the latest shooting in the neighborhood in the last weeks. On May 2nd, a car-to-car shooting was reported on the 5400 block of North Figueroa. On May 7th, one man was shot and killed on the 300 block of Avenue 52 around 5 PM. Another shooting was under investigation last week after police received reports of shots fired near the playground in the Highland Park Recreation area during daylight hours.
LAPD Public Information Officer provides an update on the Officer-Involved Shooting pic.twitter.com/CKN916TdMZ
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) May 21, 2018
The officers were in the area of Figueroa and Echo street when they noticed the white Honda Civic around 12:10 a.m. Monday. The suspects released fire when the pursuit approached Avenue 52. The pursuit ended on Avenue 50 at Aldama. The officers collided with a vehicle that was parked and the suspects vehicle continued, according to the information officer. Eventually, the suspects left the vehicle, but officers located them and took them into custody.
The officers recovered a weapon and believe all suspects involved in the incident are in custody, the information officer said.
The recent shootings have caused a stir in the Highland Park neighborhood that has been changing rapidly in the last few years. The traditionally Latino and working-class neighborhood has seen a flux of new restaurants and boutique clothing shops as well as a new wave of “artistic” types move in from neighboring Echo Park and Silverlake. Some residents have expressed that gentrification would help with the crime and deadly gang violence that has been an issue for decades.
According to Zillow, which classifies the Highland Park as "hot," the median cost of a home in the area is $763,528.
