An off-duty rookie policeman in West View was seriously wounded with his service pistol by an ex-convict early yesterday.

The 19-year-old officer, Sean Hein, of Millvale, was in guarded condition at Allegheny General Hospital, police said. He suffered bullet wounds to the chest and hip.

West View police and county homicide detectives arrested a suspect, Michael Langer, 24, shortly after the shooting, which was reported at 2:06 a.m.

Officers responded to the call in Cooper Alley behind the 100 block of Bronx Avenue, in the rear of a residence shared by Mr. Langer and his parents, West View police Chief Charles Holtgraver said.

Police found Officer Hein sitting in his vehicle with bullet wounds.

Mr. Langer said he placed him there after their fight and the shooting, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Mr. Langer's girlfriend, who had been at the Langer residence, told police that a short time before the shooting, Mr. Langer had driven away in her car without her permission.

When he returned, he got into the scuffle with Officer Hein, Chief Holtgraver said.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, a witness told police that she first saw the men fighting, and ran into the house. When she came back out, Mr. Langer was on top of the officer, beating him, according to the affidavit.

"He pulled his gun on me," Mr. Langer told police, according to the affidavit. "I grabbed his hand and twisted it around" so that the muzzle was pointed toward the officer. The gun then discharged, according to Mr. Langer.

When police went to the vehicle and found Officer Hein, his only words were, "He shot me."

Mr. Langer, bleeding from facial wounds, was taken into custody.

The chief said investigators had not determined why Officer Hein was in the area at the time. He had not been on duty for a few days, and he only works about one day a week in the borough.

After the shooting, the weapon was thrown away. Officers searched unsuccessfully for it, and dispatched a police dog from Pittsburgh trained to sniff gunpowder.

Mr. Langer was arraigned on aggravated assault charges.

The injured officer has worked part-time in West View since November. He also has been working part-time in Sewickley, Chief Holtgraver said.

Mr. Langer is known to police in the North Hills. He was released some time in the past six months from jail.

He pleaded guilty in August 2005 to charges in connection with a home invasion robbery, according to court records. Common Pleas Judge Kathleen A. Durkin sentenced him to 10 years' probation.

Mr. Langer's hearing is at 8 a.m. Wednesday before District Judge Richard Opiela. He was held on $1 million bail.