Los Angeles police say that the gun used to shoot an officer in Exposition Park over the weekend was an untraceable ghost gun.

The shooting happened at around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, located at 39th Place and Western Avenue, police said at the time. 

Two officers with LAPD's gang enforcement division were in the area conducting a patrol when they saw the suspect riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, said a news release from the department on Monday. 

The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Ernesto Sepulveda, was believed to have a handgun by officers, the release said. They tried to stop him in the 3900 block of S. Western Avenue, when he fled from the area. 

The officers began to pursue on foot, at which point Sepulveda allegedly opened fire in their direction. 

"One officer was struck in the legs by gunfire," LAPD said. "Sepulveda continued to flee south on Western Avenue and fired an additional round at backup officers."

Despite the other gang enforcement officer returning fire, Sepulveda was not struck. He threw his gun after it malfunctioned, police said. 

"Responding officers continued to pursue Sepulveda on foot and a non-categorical used of force occurred when Sepulveda was taken into custody," LAPD said. 

Department officials also noted that the officer who was struck by gunfire in the legs was also grazed on the cheek by a bullet. He remains in stable condition on Monday after being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment on wounds that are not believed to be life-threatening. 

Police recovered Sepulveda's weapon, a black steel, 9mm, Polymer-80 ghost gun with a loaded magazine. They also recovered discharged cartridge cases at the scene, according to the LAPD release. 

The suspect was booked after he was hospitalized for a head laceration, police said. He remains behind bars on Monday in lieu of $1 million bail.