A San Antonio Police officer is lucky to be alive after being shot at multiple times by a suspect during a routine traffic stop. It happened near South Park Mall.
Police Chief William McManus says two officers pulled over a vehicle on what began as a routine traffic stop. When they did, one of the passengers got out and ran. As an officer was chasing him, "the suspect turned and started shooting at the officer. When he ran out of bullets, he pulled out a second handgun and continued to shoot," said McManus. "At some point during that gunfire, the officer got hit directly in the body cam."
McManus says witnesses say the officer returned fire from the ground, because he had been knocked down when the bullet hit his body cam, which was on his chest. The suspect was shot twice. Once in an arm and once in the abdomen. He is now hospitalized. The officer was checked out, but was not injured.
Police say the 22-year-old suspect had warrants out for his arrest, which is likely why he ran.
"We are extremely lucky not to have a dead officer tonight," said McManus. "He was wearing body armor. The round blew up the whole front of the body cam."