Thugs open fire on police car with ride-along civilian inside

Two people pulled over for a broken headlight opened fire on a police car with a brand new officer and a civilian on a ride-along inside, dash cam footage has revealed.

The video shows Officer Julian Garcia switching on his sirens to pull over a white Mazda hatchback at 4.30am on Sunday morning in Madera, California.

But instead of stopping, the Mazda driver hits the accelerator and a chase begins, with a female civilian sitting in the front seat next to the policeman.

As the cars race down residential streets, the passenger of the Mazda pulls out a gun and fires a dozen shots at the police car.

"Don't follow him," the unnamed woman in the passenger seat can be heard saying.

Bullets hit the windscreen as well as the cruiser's rear tyre, effectively disabling the car.

The police car rolls to a stop as the civilian weeps.

She had been part of a community outreach program.

Officer Garcia had completed his field training two weeks ago and was "effectively a brand new officer", Police Chief Steve Frazier said.

"By the grace of God, this officer and this civilian ride-along are with us today," he said.

The suspects escaped on foot and are still unidentified and at large.