Echo Park might be an epicenter of nightlife and gentrification, but it still has its share of crime.

Over the weekend, at least one gang cop patrolling the area opened fire on a suspect police allege had a gun. It happened after midnight yesterday when a gang unit — usually two officers in a car — came upon a group fight or argument at Sunset Boulevard and Sutherland Street, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Liliana Preciado.

As the cops got out of the vehicle to investigate the situation, a suspect with a gun ran, Preciado said, and at least one officer opened fire. The officers then chased the suspect to a gas station a short block to the west, where at least one officer opened fire again, she said.

The suspect was hospitalized and arrested. He was in stable condition today, Preciado said. The man's name was not released.

Investigators recovered what police believe is the handgun brandished by the suspect, according to Preciado. It's not clear if the suspect opened fire. 

The incident started on a busy corner for nightlife in Echo Park, one occupied both by El Compadre restaurant and by the Short Stop, a former cop bar that has found new life as a hipster hangout. 

As a matter of routine, the shooting will be investigated by the department's Force Investigation Division, as well as by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division.

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