Police Shoot Man During Traffic Stop Outside Ventura Co. Government Center

VENTURA (CBSLA) – A driver was shot and critically wounded by a Ventura police officer during a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Ventura County Government Center Monday morning.

The shooting occurred at around 10:30 a.m. in a parking lot in the 800 block of South Victoria Avenue.

An officer was conducting a traffic stop on a wanted vehicle when an altercation of some kind occurred, prompting the officer to open fire on the suspect, Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Marta Bugarin told CBS2.

The suspect, a 37-year-old man, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and was undergoing surgery.

The officer was taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

The exact circumstances that prompted the shooting were not confirmed. The sheriff's office is investigating.