CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / SAN DIEGO COUNTY

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer in San Diego County fired his handgun at a vehicle he said was about to run him down after a hit-and-run, officials said Monday.

Officer Ramon Zepeda of the 77th Division was westbound on Interstate 8, near Alpine, about 8:30 p.m. Sunday when a Ford sedan rear-ended his vehicle and kept driving, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Ana Aguirre.

Zepeda followed the vehicle, which contained two men and a woman, in an effort to get a license plate number, police said. When it stopped in a residential neighborhood, Zepeda got out and approached the driver to exchange insurance information.

As Zepeda walked toward the vehicle, it started toward him. Fearing for his safety, the officer fired toward the vehicle, Aguirre said. The car missed the officer and sped away. It is unclear whether any bullets hit the car; no one has reported being injured. The incident occurred in the area of East Lakeview Road and Kay Jay Lane, according to authorities.

The shooting is being investigated by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division.

-- Richard Winton