DALLAS - Authorities say a driver shot and wounded a suburban St. Louis police officer during a traffic stop.

The shooting happened around 11 a.m. Friday in Ballwin.

Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott said at a news conference Friday that the attack happened around 11 a.m. and was captured on video.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the suspect, who is in his 30s, "ambushed" the officer, who is in critical but stable condition. His identity wasn't released.

Authorities didn't provide the race of the officer or the suspect or suggest a possible motive.

Belmar told KMOV-TV that the officer took "a hard hit" and was hospitalized, but he declined to elaborate on his condition.

Belmar says after shooting the officer, the suspect sped off but was spotted by another officer and abandoned his car. That officer captured the suspect after a short chase on foot.

The shooting comes amid heightened tension following an attack in Dallas in which five police officers were killed and seven others and two civilians were wounded.