LAPD Officer Pistol Whipped Inside His Police Precinct, Suspect Shot At

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department was disarmed, shot at and pistol whipped inside a police station by an assailant, according to authorities.

The altercation took place inside the Harbor station in San Pedro at around 10 p.m. on Saturday night. In a news conference, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the suspect had walked into the station and gotten into an altercation with the officer, during which he managed to take the officer's gun.

"During that altercation, it appears at this very early stage that the officer's weapon was taken from him and rounds were fired by the individual at the officer," Moore said.

According to Moore, none of the rounds that were fired at the officer struck him. A watch commander who heard the commotion in the lobby opened fire on the suspect, but did not hit him.

The officer's injuries were consistent with being "pistol whipped," Moore said, according to NBC Los Angeles.

The suspect fled the the police station and jumped into a vehicle. He was pursued by other officers to the vicinity of 18th Street and Pacific Avenue where he was taken into custody. Another officer suffered minor injuries during the arrest, Moore said.

There was initial confusion over whether the officer involved in the altercation had been shot. "My prayers to the @LapdHarborDiv officer who was shot tonight. I'm heading to the hospital now....," Los Angeles city councilman Joe Buscaino had tweeted.

But Moore later confirmed the officer had not been hit by any gunfire.

In a tweet, Moore said: "Spoke with officer at hospital. He is resting and will be ok. Bumps and bruises. He was not shot. Harbor units responding pursued suspect and took him into custody."

"Law enforcement sources telling us injury to LAPD officer was from being pistol whipped not a shooting. Shot was fired by officer at suspect amid altercation with officer," Andrew Blankstein, a reporter with NBC News, added on Twitter.

Before Moore's news conference, the LAPD on Twitter confirmed an officer-involved shooting took place and that the suspect involved was in custody. "There is a significant police incident at LAPD's Harbor Station. Please stay clear of the area," the LAPD tweeted.

In additional tweets, the department added: "We can confirm that there has been an Officer-Involved Shooting at LAPD's Harbor Station. A Public Information Officer is responding, and we will provide more details as they become available.

"The officer involved in this incident was transported to a local hospital and is receiving medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect involved in this incident is in custody."

The LAPD noted that the information was preliminary as the investigation is active and ongoing.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a statement about the incident on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"Sending my best wishes for a quick and full recovery to our @LAPDHQ officer injured in an incident at the Harbor Station tonight. The officer is in stable condition and we're closely monitoring the situation," Garcetti wrote.

The incident is the latest reported instance of violence against law enforcement in Los Angeles in recent weeks.

An off-duty LAPD officer was shot by a suspect while in his car in Reseda early Saturday, police said. Bullets hit the officer's personal vehicle, but missed the officer, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Two weeks ago, two deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were shot while sat in their patrol vehicle in Compton. Both survived, but sustained serious injuries and underwent surgery.

The incidents followed a summer of, at times violent, protests against police brutality and racial injustice over the killings of Black people, in Los Angeles and cities across the U.S.

Two separate drivers attempted to run through different crowds of protesters earlier this week in Hollywood during a demonstration prompted by the decision not to charge the officers in the killing of Breonna Taylor.