Police officers shot a 15-year-old boy in the back in a South Los Angeles alley after confronting someone next to him who was holding what appeared to be a handgun, officials said Wednesday.
Gang homicide officers were driving in the 7200 block of 10th Avenue about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday when they spotted a group of people in an alley, one of whom was aiming the gun at another person in the group, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers ordered the gunman to drop the weapon, which turned out to be a replica gun, but he allegedly refused.
"This individual was in an alley with a gun, a fake gun," said LAPD Commander Andrew Smith. "And, he was fooling around with it and our officers, of course, assume it's a real gun because it looks exactly like a real gun."
Police opened fire, striking the teen standing next to the subject with the fake gun once in his upper back, LAPD officials said. The teen was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released to his mother, officials said.
Officials said Tuesday that an officer-involved shooting had occurred, but did not release details on who had been struck by police gunfire.
No officers were injured in the shooting. No arrests were made, but the individual who was holding the fake gun could still be considered criminally responsible for brandishing a replica firearm near a police officer, police said.
NBC4's Hetty Chang contributed to this report.