When a sport utility vehicle being pursued through South L.A. stopped on a freeway onramp, a gunman carrying a high-powered, assault-type rifle stepped out and opened fire at the police cruiser behind.
The shooting marked the start of a one-mile, rolling gun battle with police that ended when one of two men inside a Chevrolet Tahoe seriously wounded an LAPD officer before police fatally shot the armed suspect. The other person in the SUV was taken into custody.
"Thank goodness we had that armored vehicle as a shield because a regular police cruiser would have been Swiss cheese," Smith said.
