Off-duty officer opens fire on Palms burglary suspect

PALMS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An off-duty officer opened fire after finding a man that broke into his home in the Palms area Thursday night.

Authorities say the officer had just returned home on the 3200 block of Military Avenue at about 10 p.m. when he saw the suspect.

"The officer was in his home, sitting in the living room when he saw a male black about 20 years old wearing dark clothing standing in his kitchen," LAPD Sgt. John Marquez said. "The officer ran to his bedroom, armed himself with his handgun and chased the suspect outside his home through the backyard."

At some point, the officer shot at the suspect, but it's not clear if the suspect was injured.

Police set up a perimeter and searched for the man for several hours but did not make any arrests.

"(My wife) heard gunshots, and she was afraid to go outside," said neighbor Daniel Wood.

The officer that fired the shot was not hurt.

City News Service contributed to this report.