Man shot by off-duty LAPD officer in Monterey Hills was armed, police say

MONTEREY HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An off-duty Los Angeles police officer shot a man who officials said confronted the officer with a gun in Monterey Hills early Monday morning.

Investigators said the shooting happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. in the 500 block of East Wheeling Way.

Detectives say the officer went to lock his car when a man, later identified as 23-year-old Joshua Villavicencio, confronted him with a gun.

Officials said Villavicencio demanded the keys from the off-duty officer's car.

That's when an exchange of gun fire took place, according to police.

Villavicencio was shot once and taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition.

He was later arrested and booked for attempted murder.

The officer was not hurt during the shooting.

Police said they recovered a semi-automatic handgun at the scene that belonged to the suspect.

Anyone with information that can help investigators is urged to call the Los Angeles Police Department's Force Investigation Division at (213) 486-5230.