Dec. 14--An off-duty Los Angeles police officer shot and critically wounded a 23-year-old man early Monday in Montecito Heights in what police later described as an attempted carjacking.
The off-duty officer was locking his personal vehicle shortly before 2:45 a.m. in the 500 block of Wheeling Way when the man -- later identified as Joshua Villavicencio -- approached him and demanded his keys, the LAPD said.
The officer saw the man had a handgun, police said, "and an exchange of gunfire occurred."
Villavicencio was wounded and taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. Although he remained hospitalized later Monday, police booked him on suspicion of attempted murder.
The handgun that investigators Villavicencio carried was found at the scene, police said.
The officer was not injured.
As with all shootings by LAPD officers, the shooting will also be reviewed by the district attorney's office, Police Commission and its independent inspector general.
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