Police Officer, Suspect Hurt In Lawndale Shooting

LAWNDALE (CBSLA.com) — Redondo Beach police shot and wounded a man accused of injuring one officer Tuesday and assaulting another previously.

At about 9:40 a.m., SWAT officers arrived at the Best Western hotel at Marine Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard with a warrant to arrest a man wanted for assaulting a Redondo Beach police officer a week ago.

When officers tracked down the suspect in an SUV in the hotel parking lot, "they attempted to effect a traffic stop. The suspect made some maneuvers with his vehicle and ultimately rammed the car that was occupied by a uniformed lieutenant from the Redondo Beach police department," said Lt. Steve Jauch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that was assisting in the investigation.

Witnesses said they heard as many as 20 shots fired at the SUV, which was riddled with bullet holes in the windshield.

Ismael Ramirez was on the other side of a wall next to the hotel parking lot when he heard a barrage of gunfire.

Alex Chavez said he was checking in when he heard gunshots and saw a young woman running into the hotel's office.

"The look on her face was really scared. I mean the shots were really loud. We just tried to stay in as close as we could. Everybody kept poking their heads out. That's probably not the best idea," Chavez recalled.

The suspect was hit at least once in the upper body and taken to a hospital, where he was listed in serious condition,  according to a press release by the sheriff's department.

The Redondo Beach police lieutenant was treated at a hospital for minor back injuries and was expected to be released later Tuesday.

The hotel was evacuated as officers determined if a second suspect was barricaded inside the hotel. They later said no one else was involved.