Jul 5, 2004 12:32 pm US/Pacific                                                        
MONTEBELLO, Calif. (AP) A police sergeant shot and wounded a man who tried to grab his shotgun and drive away his patrol car, authorities said Monday.

The unidentified man was listed in stable condition after being shot in the torso around 9:30 p.m. Sunday in Montebello, about 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

The sergeant detained the man at the intersection of Montebello and Whittier boulevards, authorities said. The man, who was shirtless, had been ``acting bizarre'' and trying to flag down motorists.

The man initially cooperated but then got into the patrol car, reached for a shotgun inside and tried to drive away, the Sheriff's Department said.

After a ``lengthy struggle'' inside the car, the sergeant shot him, authorities said.

The sergeant was not identified. Montebello police and sheriff's detectives were investigating.

No further details were immediately available.

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