Police tracked down and arrested a man after a drive-by shooting attempt on an officer he got out of his patrol car near a park, investigators said.
The shooting happened at 68th Street and Imperial Avenue in the Skyline area near Marie Widman Park at about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
The officer got out of his black and white patrol car to talk with some people in the park when a white car pulled up beside him, police said. The driver, who was the lone occupant of the car, pointed a handgun at the officer and fired, officials said. The bullet missed the officer, but he was hit by glass when the bullet shattered a window of the patrol car, police said.
The officer chased the car but the gunman sped away down Imperial Avenue.
A witness took down the gunman's license plate, which police traced to a Hertz rental car agency in the South Bay.
"We contacted Hertz and got the renter's information," said Capt. James Collins. "We got a phone call from Hertz that the renter was (there) trying to swap cars."
Officers surrounded the agency at the corner of Skyline and Euclid and arrested a man identified as Rahin L. Mitchell, 35, of San Diego. Police said he was booked into County Jail on attempted murder and assault charges.
The officer was taken to the hospital and was treated and released.
