LAPD releases body camera video of South Los Angeles shootout that left 2 officers injured
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Police Department has released new body camera footage of a shootout with an armed suspect that left two officers injured.
The violence erupted last month in South Los Angeles. The footage shows bystanders at a nearby taco stand running for cover as a barrage of bullets fly during the gun battle.
Detectives say it all began when the suspect, 30-year-old Nija Hill, confronted two men in an alley, hitting one of them twice in the head with his gun before going to a nearby laundromat and threatening everyone inside.
"Upon arrival, the officers saw HIlls standing on the sidewalk outside a nearby business. Hill immediately began to flee... as officers pursued him on foot," Capt. Alex Chogyoji said in a critical incident community briefing.
Hill then ran into an apartment building. Gunfire erupted seconds later, and it was all caught on both officer's body cameras.
Hill, shot twice in the leg, then attempted to carjack a victim before fleeing once again. SWAT officers rushed in to seal off the neighborhood.
"SWAT and K9 officers conducted an extensive search of the area and ultimately located Hill in the area of 92nd Street and Wadsworth Avenue hiding inside a parked vehicle," Chogyoji added.
Hill was taken into custody without incident. Detectives say they found his 9mm semi-automatic handgun at the scene.
Both injured officers were treated and released from the hospital. Hill, meanwhile, is now facing a long list of felony charges, including attempted murder on a peace officer and assault with a deadly weapon.
