Long Beach Police Officer Shot During Traffic Stop

A Long Beach motorcycle police officer was shot in the leg and suffered a graze wound to the head Wednesday night during a traffic stop, authorities said.

“He’s alive and coherent,” said Long Beach police spokesman Harry Erickson. “The doctors don’t believe the bullet penetrated his skull.”

The name of the officer, who was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, was not released.

The officer was on routine patrol and pulled over a man for speeding near the intersection of Long Beach and Del Amo boulevards, Erickson said. As the officer approached the car, the motorist fired six shots at close range, striking the patrolman twice. One bullet entered his helmet, grazing the officer in the head.

Another motorcycle officer came to the aid of the wounded policeman and called for assistance, Erickson said.

The gunman was described by authorities as a man in his early 20s with a shaved head.

He was driving a gray Saturn, which was found a few blocks from the shooting. He apparently abandoned the vehicle and took off.

The shooting prompted a massive search. Long Beach police, along with SWAT team officers, cordoned off a 17-block area and used police dogs in a door-to-door search.