Kidnap suspect sought after Rampart-area officer-involved shooting

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police officers were searching for a man suspected of kidnapping a woman in the Rampart area early Sunday morning.

Around 3:30 a.m., authorities received reports of a woman screaming in the 1300 block of Ingraham Street.

When officers arrived at the scene, a dark-colored SUV was found parked along the curb. Officers saw a man and a woman in the back of the car and tried to get into it, believing the woman needed help.

The door was locked, so officers broke through a window to rescue the woman. At some point, an officer-involved shooting broke out and it was unclear if the suspect was hit. The suspect was able to flee the location in the car with the woman still inside.

Authorities said at some point, the woman exited the SUV at Columbia Avenue and James M. Wood Boulevard. Officers provided aid until Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported her to a local hospital where she was listed in stable condition. Police said the victim did not know the suspect and was not hit by the gunfire.

The suspect was outstanding, authorities said, and officers asked for the public's help to find the man. He is described as a man between the age of 20 and 30 who was driving a dark-colored SUV.

"There's a lot of apartment complexes, a lot of residents around, lots of businesses and due to the number of radio calls that we received, we know that somebody witnessed this," said Sgt. Barry Montgomery of the LAPD.

Anyone with information was asked to call the LAPD Robbery and Homicide Division or Rampart-area detectives.