Authorities from several agencies searched an area near Amite in Tangipahoa Parish early Wednesday before capturing an armed suspect believed to have shot a police officer.

The police officer was being treated for a non-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said.

The Sheriff's Office said the chase and search began as a traffic stop where the suspect threatened a sheriff's deputy with a gun. After a brief vehicle chase, the suspect was stopped a second time but shot an Independent police officer in the leg and ran into a wooded area, the Sheriff's Office said.

After fleeing into the woods, the suspect stole a vehicle and drove north to the McMichael Church Road area in Amite. That's where the search was centered, the Sheriff's Office said.

Check b

See Full Page