LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles police launched a citywide manhunt after two suspects shot at officers in a patrol car, officials said Monday.

No one was injured in the shooting, which erupted at 9.30pm on Sunday night while the two officers were responding to an unrelated call.

One suspect was detained and a weapon was recovered at the scene, while a second suspect fled, prompting a search over a "huge area" of the city, detective Megan Aguilar said.

"This is a suspect that fired at police officers, so please take caution," she told local channel KTLA, warning he may still be armed.

The shooting comes just over week after two police officers were murdered in New York following nationwide demonstrations over the killing of black suspects by police.

The New York shooter had posted angry, anti-government comments on Instagram that referenced the black men's deaths.

Ms Aguilar said there was no known link between the incidents, but that anti-police violence was a "concern".

"It's always in the back of the mind that you could be the target of somebody's anger and have something like this happen," she said.

Police issued a "tactical alert" early Monday, deploying additional off-duty officers "necessary for controlling an emergency," the Los Angeles Police Department said on its Twitter feed.

The LAPD also warned Los Angeles residents to stay indoors while the search was ongoing.

Local media reported that 60 officers and nine canine units were deployed for the search, although an LAPD spokeswoman could not confirm the precise number, saying only that "several" had been dispatched.