2 suspects arrested in shooting of off-duty Washington, DC, police officer

By Christina Zdanowicz and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

(CNN) — An off-duty police officer was shot at and injured Monday while en route to work in Washington, DC, and two suspects have been taken into custody, the police chief said.

The police officer is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said in a news conference Monday afternoon. The officer, who is a captain with 18 years on the job, drove themselves to a police station a few blocks away.

“One of our officers was traveling to work and while en route to work, he observed a vehicle driving very erratically,” Smith said. “The suspects in the vehicle stopped the car very abruptly, got out of the car and fired at our officer.” One suspect shot at the officer, who was inside his vehicle, she added.

The officer was driving his personal vehicle and was not in uniform, the chief said. The officer was shot in the area of 7th Street and Oneida Place in Northwest DC, police said, a residential, tree-lined street near a church.

Police did not share any information on where the officer was injured and could not say if it was a carjacking, as the investigation is ongoing. It was unclear if any weapons were confiscated at the scene in Maryland.

Police spokesman Paris Lewbel initially told CNN a Metropolitan Police Department officer had been shot in Washington, DC. He did not provide details on the officer’s condition or any suspect at the time.

The officer was able to get a description of the vehicle and a partial license plate, which helped police track the vehicle to Landover, Maryland, where it crashed, the chief said. Police took two adult, male suspects into custody, she said.

“We are grateful that our officer has not sustained any life-threatening injuries,” Smith said. “He is at an area hospital with his family and our family support team.”

Smith said she has not spoken to the officer yet, as he was undergoing a CT scan.

“It could have been anybody. It didn’t necessarily have to be a Metropolitan Police Department officer,” Smith said. “When these types of things happen, you must know that we will not tolerate this kind of violence in our city.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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