US manhunt underway after 3 police, 1 civilian shot

LOS ANGELES: US police launched a manhunt in northern California on Friday after a suspect shot at least three police officers and one civilian, officials said.

The violence began around 10:30 am, when a deputy with the Sacramento County Sheriff´s Department went to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked at a hotel in Sacramento, the state capital.

As he approached, the driver opened fire and struck the deputy in the upper torso, Sheriff´s Lieutenant Robert Davis told AFP.

The deputy was taken to the hospital and was in grave condition.The suspect sped away from the scene.

A woman was also in the car. A short time later, the suspect carjacked another vehicle. When the woman driver resisted, she was shot, Davis said.

Her condition was not immediately known. The suspect then carjacked another vehicle, this time a red pickup truck, without physically injuring the driver, and sped into neighboring Placer County.

Davis said two more officers were shot in Placer County, though he did not have further details. Calls to authorities there were not immediately returned.

The California Highway Patrol said on Twitter that "at least" three officers had been shot by two heavily armed suspects -- a man and a woman. A search was ongoing.