Dramatic footage shows a shootout between Los Angeles police and a gang member at point-blank range during a routine traffic stop.
The suspect was fatally wounded after attempting to shoot at officers, injuring one of them.
Los Angeles police department have released graphic footage of the incident which happened in the San Fernando Valley in late July.
The footage shows two officers, a male and a female who have not been identified, approaching a car carrying gang member Richard Mendoza.
The female officer, who works in the gang unit, approaches on the right side and chats to the passengers inside the car as they are known to her already.
The male officer on the left said asks the driver to get out of the car, at which point he does but pulls out a handgun and immediately fires at both officers.
The female officer falls to the ground as her partner returns fire and fatally wounds Mendoza.
The Los Angeles Times said that Mendoza was hit multiple times in his head and torso and died later at a nearby hospital.
The female officer was shot in the leg but is now said to be recovering.
The report said the LAPD has been releasing videos from ‘critical incidents.’
‘By the grace of God she is alive,’ LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the paper. ‘Officers are fearful in these situations and the public here gets to see why.
‘Once a person has you in that position it is very tough,’ he said. ‘You cannot stop that first one or two shots.’
Retired LAPD Sergeant Mike Sayre told Fox 11 that the video is a good example of how quickly police officers have to respond.