A CHP officer was shot during a traffic stop and critically injured in Studio City on Monday, police said.
The incident happened just before 8 p.m. in front of a private school, Campbell Hall, in the 4500 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, just off the 101 Freeway. According to a statement given by the CHP early Tuesday morning, an officer from the CHP's West Valley Division attempted to make an enforcement stop on a white Ford sedan.
As the officer approached the driver of that sedan, the driver left their car and an "altercation occurred," the CHP said.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The driver drew a firearm and fired several times, hitting the officer multiple times, the CHP said.
The driver, identified by the CHP as a 33-year-old man, then fled the scene.
One witness who heard the gunshots expressed their shock at the incident.
"I've never heard gunshots in an everyday setting before," said Carly Coleman. "So I was just a little bit thrown up. It was a very chaotic environment. I've never seen something of this nature occur like this."
The type of firearm, and whether the driver fled the area on foot or by car, was not immediately clear. The driver is considered armed and dangerous, and police are still searching for that individual.
The officer was rushed to a hospital in critical condition while CHP cruisers provided an escort.
The officer was taken to a hospital with "very serious" injuries, the CHP said. As of 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, the officer is in serious condition.
The public was advised Monday night to avoid the area in Studio City as authorities investigated the shooting.
Law enforcement officers also set up a perimeter around a neighborhood off of Haskell Avenue in Van Nuys, where the shooter was last seen, while they searched an apartment complex for the shooter.
The man was able to evade capture, with residents forced to evacuate as police used tear gas in an attempt to get the shooter to leave.
Haskell Ave. has reopened as of 6 a.m. Tuesday. The shooter is still at large.
Laurel Canyon Blvd. was still closed Tuesday morning, but reopened around 6:40 a.m.
Any witnesses with more information are asked to call the CHP at 323-644-9550.
