Officers who were patrolling the area responded to the nightclub near the intersection of Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard shortly before 2 a.m., the LAPD said.
After a fight on the street led security guards at the club to flag down the police, a man in a white sedan brandished a gun and shot at the arriving officers, according to authorities. Police then returned fire as the suspect fled.
No officers or bystanders were injured, the LAPD said. Whether the suspect was struck by gunfire was unknown.
After the incident, the patrol vehicle of the officers involved in the shooting was seen with an apparent bullet hole on the driver's side of the windshield.
As detectives conducted an investigation at the scene, the street and sidewalk were strewn with green evidence markers, many of them placed near spent bullet casings.
The circumstances that resulted in the initial altercation were unclear.
Police have not released a detailed description of the man being sought.