Original Article Undercover state DPS officer nearly killed Spotted by a suspect in a drug and kidnapping case, the officer heard two clicks as gun is put to his head. He managed to get away. DAVID L. TEIBEL Tucson Citizen Tucson law enforcement officers late yesterday were trying to find a kidnapping victim and one of two suspected kidnappers who put a gun to an officer's head and tried to kill him as he was on surveillance in the case. The undercover state Department of Public Safety officer escaped death when the gunman's pistol failed twice to fire and the officer was able to get out of his undercover pickup and away from the gunman, said Capt. Brett Klein, the Tucson Police Department's chief of staff. The suspect approached the officer when he was doing surveillance in an unmarked truck, said he knew the officer was "a cop," and put a gun to his head, Klein said. The officer heard the gun click twice, but it didn't fire. Klein said the officer and suspect circled the pickup and exchanged fire, when the gunman's pistol began working. The suspect escaped in the officer's truck after the officer sought cover away from the pickup, which contained undisclosed DPS equipment, police said in a news release. Police did not know if the gunman was struck by the officer's bullets. The officer was not hurt, police said. A "large scale manhunt" has been launched to find the kidnap victim and two suspects, Klein said at a news conference yesterday. "These are very, very violent people and we're pulling out all the stops," Klein said. Klein said investigators have identified two suspects in the case, but would not release their names. The suspects are being investigated for kidnapping and drug activity that are related, he said. He declined to provide further details except to say that the kidnapping happened within 24 hours of the shootout. Tucson police would not release the DPS officer's name because of his undercover assignment to the multiagency Counter Narcotics Alliance. The shootout happened about 9:45 p.m. Thursday while the officer was watching a house near North Silverbell Road and West Sweetwater Drive, police said in the release. Klein said the officer's truck was recovered in the area about 8:25 a.m. yesterday. Officer Frank Valenzuela, a Phoenix-based DPS spokesman, said the officer is on administrative leave for his well being, as is standard in such cases. Valenzuela said the officer has been with DPS for about 20 years. DPS will conduct an administrative investigation once the Tucson area criminal investigation is finished, Valenzuela said. He said DPS does not want the administrative case to interfere with the criminal one. Tucson Citizen reporter A.J. Flick contributed to this story.