A female suspect was shot in the leg by oifficers after she allegedly pointed a handgun in the Hollywood and Highland parking garage. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A 47-year-old woman from Los Angeles was charged on Tuesday with six felony counts for allegedly pointing a gun during an altercation early last Friday morning in the parking structure at the Hollywood and Highland complex.

A Los Angeles Police Department officer shot the suspect in the leg during the altercation, and the suspect is currently recovering at a hospital. She was identified as Diamond Vargas.

LAPD spokeswoman Liliana Preciado said the incident occurred at approximately 1:25 a.m. on the third level of the underground parking garage. Preciado said it is unclear what initially started the altercation between Vargas and another motorist.

Vargas allegedly first retrieved a baseball bat from her vehicle and swung it at the motorist, and security officers in the garage intervened and attempted to detain the suspect and call police. As LAPD officers arrived at the scene, Vargas allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officers, one of whom fired and struck the suspect once in the leg.

“They saw two women involved in a fight, and one of them was armed with a bat,” Preciado said. “She had a gun and armed herself, and that’s when the officer-involved shooting occurred.”

The district attorney’s office filed six counts of assault with a firearm against Vargas, but an arraignment has been postponed until the suspect recovers. According to prosecutors, Vargas has previous convictions for assault and robbery. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in state prison.

No other injuries were reported. Police have credited security in the parking structure for helping to prevent the situation from becoming worse.

A woman who identified herself only as Britney, who answered the phone at the Hollywood and Highland security office, said there would be no comment.

The incident was the second officer-involved shooting in the Hollywood Entertainment District within a month. On Dec. 5, a 42-year-old man was shot and killed by officers after he brandished a knife near the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Los Angeles County Coroner’s Spokesman Ed Winter said the man has not yet been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin. Winter added that authorities believe he was from Alabama, and are attempting to reach family members.

Det. E. Reyes, with the LAPD’s Hollywood Division, said additional police resources have been stationed on and around Hollywood Boulevard because it is a busy area, but there does not appear to be an uptick in violent crime in the Hollywood Entertainment District. The two officer-involved shootings are being investigated by the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division, which is standard departmental procedure.