The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested the man who they say opened fire at officers during a traffic stop.
According to a news release, the original shooting occurred around 9 p.m. on July 3 when officers with the LAPD’s Southeast Area division initiated a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet sedan at the corner of Broadway and Rosecrans Avenue in South L.A.
“The suspect’s vehicle began to accelerate away but stopped suddenly on Broadway north of Rosecrans Avenue,” LAPD stated. “Before officers could exit the police vehicle, the suspect, armed with a fully automatic weapon, fired at officers without warning.”
The officer-involved shooting occurred when one of the responding officers quickly returned fire, LAPD added. Authorities identified the officer as Police Officer II Joshua Rodney of the Southeast Area division.
Two officers sustained cuts and scratches from glass fragments caused by the suspects’ rounds hitting the cruiser windshield; one of them was grazed in the head twice, LAPD said.
They were both hospitalized and released the following day.
In the immediate aftermath of the July 3 shooting, the suspect fled the scene, and while officers attempted to follow the suspect’s vehicle for about 200 yards, they eventually lost sight of it near 135th Street and Broadway.
Investigators quickly combed the scene for clues – finding numerous rifle casings and other evidence – and eventually identified the suspect as Malcolm Guss, Jr.
“During the investigation, police located and seized the Chevrolet sedan [and] a firearm believed to have been involved in the crime,” LAPD said.
Guss, Jr., 31, was arrested on Friday and booked on $2 million bail.
The date of his next scheduled court appearance was not immediately available.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division.