AMITE, La. (WVUE) - A suspect authorities said was “armed and dangerous” after allegedly shooting an Independence police officer is in custody after a multi-agency manhunt.

The search was conducted in the area of McMichael Church Road off Highway 51 south of Amite.

The incident began as a traffic stop where a Tangipahoa deputy was threatened with a gun. After a brief vehicle pursuit, a second traffic stop was made in Independence, where the suspect shot an Independence Police officer in the leg.

The officer sustained a non-life-threatening injury and is being treated at a local hospital.

The suspect ran into a wooded area near the intersection of Highways 51 and 40 before stealing a car and driving north to the McMichael Church Road area in Amite. The search is ongoing in a wooded area

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