East Palo Alto police officer shot during struggle with suspect

An East Palo Alto police officer suffered non-life threatening injuries in a shooting late Thursday night, the department said Friday morning.

Officers made a traffic stop in the area of Fordham Street and Purdue Avenue just after 11 p.m. Thursday, the East Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release. The vehicle’s driver fled on foot; the officers chased him to the 2700 block of Fordham.

As police struggled to get the suspect in custody, the suspect fired a single shot from a fully automatic “ghost gun” containing a high-capacity magazine, authorities said. The shot struck an officer — a five-year veteran of the department — who suffered injuries to a lower extremity.

The suspect was arrested and the firearm was recovered by police. Authorities said officers did not fire any shots during the incident.

“We are grateful that our officer was not more seriously injured, and that the suspect and firearm are in custody,” East Palo Alto Interim Police Chief Jeff Liu said in the release. “This is a stark reminder of the danger police officers face, and the ongoing dangers of gun violence. We must never forget the risk our police officers take every time they leave their families to serve our community.”