Dallas police are investigating the shooting of an undercover officer early Wednesday morning.
According to the Dallas Police Department's Public Information Officer Kristin Lowman, the incident occurred in the 2400 block of West Northwest Highway near Harry Hines Boulevard at around 12:45 a.m. The officer was in the area conducting surveillance.
In an early morning press conference, Chief Eddie Garcia said the incident began when a vehicle pulled up to the officer and blocked him in.
“At least two suspects exited the vehicle. One of the suspects was armed with two firearms and approached our officer. When our officer noticed these individuals approaching the car, the officer exit his vehicle. Soon after that, an exchange of gunfire happened between suspects and our officer retreated. Our officer was shot at least one time.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
It is unknown if the suspects were hit with gunfire but one of them was able to jump in the officer's covert car and take off with it, alongside the suspect vehicle.
Police are searching for three men who they believe are involved in the incident, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said.
"We think there's at least three. And we believe obviously, at least one if not multiple of those suspects are armed," he said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
According to Dallas police, the suspects abandoned the undercover Dodge Challenger a short distance away from the scene of the crime.
The undercover officer was able to call for help, informing officers that he had been shot and his vehicle had been stolen, police said. Officers arrived to his aid and were able to take to the hospital by vehicle.
The veteran officer has not been identified, but Lowman confirmed that the officer was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Garcia said police are actively investigating the incident, and that the department has deployed resources to find the three people they say are responsible, including air and ground search support.
By 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dallas Police said the officer had been discharged from the hospital.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
