An officer-involved shooting occurred during a traffic stop in Whittier Monday night, according to the Whittier Police Department.
"As he initiated a traffic stop, the front passenger exited the vehicle and displayed a firearm," Officer John Scoggins said, of WPD.
Investigators said the officer opened fire on the suspects just before midnight during the traffic stop near Whittier Boulevard and Comstock Avenue. The suspects bailed out of the car and according to a witness, one of the men shot back at the officer.
"They ran into a residential neighborhood. The containment was set up as we located one of the suspects," Scoggins said.
The manhunt for the second suspect started shortly after. Officers shut down a square mile of the city and used K-9s canvassing every home in the area. An airship was also deployed to assist officers on the ground. After eight hours and no sign of the suspect or a weapon, investigators suspended their search shifting their attention to the ongoing investigation.
"It is possible he slipped out, somebody could be hiding him, or he could be hiding really well that he went undetected," Scoggins said.
With one man in custody and two women detained who were in the car at the time of the shooting, detectives hope someone will talk and lead them to possibly the shooter.
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CHP and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were assisting the Whittier Police Department with its search for the missing suspect.
No injuries were reported.
