Off-Duty LAPD Officer Is Wounded in Freeway Shootout

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer driving north on the Harbor Freeway was shot Sunday in both legs by the occupants of a Mercedes-Benz, police said.

The unidentified officer, in a pickup truck, returned gunfire with the four men in the other vehicle before he pulled off the freeway at Florence Avenue for medical attention, Officer Don Cox said.

The officer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was in stable condition Sunday.

The motive for the shooting was unclear.

It occurred about 5:30 p.m., shortly after the officer made a transition from the westbound Century Freeway to the Harbor Freeway, police said.

“He observed the Mercedes driving erratically in his rear-view mirror,” Cox said.

“The car pulled up alongside him on the right, and then shots were fired. Then there was an exchange of gunfire until he got to the Florence offramp.”

Police described the vehicle used by the shooters as a gold, mid-1990s Mercedes S500 series with tinted rear windows.

Investigators say the vehicle may have bullet holes.

Investigators closed the northbound Harbor Freeway around Manchester Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. to check for evidence.