Austin police searching for suspect who shot at officer in SW Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department says it is searching for a suspect who shot at an officer. 

APD says an officer responded to an alarm call near Travis Green Lane and Hero Drive in southwest Austin on Christmas Eve around midnight. When the officer arrived and while in his patrol car, he noticed a vehicle with duct tape obscuring its license plate drive by a nearby home.

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The officer attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect drove away evading police and fired several shots at the officer, says APD. The suspect began driving on the wrong side of the road during the pursuit, so officers stopped pursuing the vehicle.

APD says the suspect vehicle was found a short time later crashed and abandoned in a nearby apartment complex's parking lot. Officers set up a perimeter and searched, but the suspect was not found.

No suspect information is currently available, according to APD. No injuries were reported in this incident, but vehicles parked near the officer's patrol car were also hit.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley tweeted about the incident saying that while the investigation is still ongoing that he feels that it was an "attempted murder" of an officer. 

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In response to another tweet, Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday addressed the shooting saying multiple officers have been shot at in the past few weeks. He's calling to Austin Mayor Steve Adler to provide help, start the police academy back up, and to address the conditions officers are facing.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this case to call the APD Aggravated Assault Unit at (512) 974-5245. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App. You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.