It is the stuff of action movies: A cop takes both hands off the steering wheel to fire through his own windshield at a car full of bad guys during a high-octane chase.

But this is real life and happened in Las Vegas when officers William Umana and Paul Solomon got into a chase with murder suspects Rene Nunez and Fidel Miranda.

The incident began at 7.30am on July 11 when 25-year-old Thomas Romero was shot multiple times in the chest and killed at a car wash on the city's north side.

Las Vegas police have released dramatic bodycam footage which shows an officer firing through his own windshield during a car chase last week

At one point the officer takes both of his hands off the wheel while his car is still travelling along in order to fire at the fleeing vehicle

Police were called to the scene and officers were told the shooting suspects had fled in a large black SUV with large tires, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

Around 9.30am cops spotted a car matching that description just around the corner, but when they tried to pull the driver over he fled, starting the chase.

As the Ford Expedition was pursued by marked police cars the suspects began firing at officers, the police department said. Umana, 37, and Soloman, 41, fired back.

Dramatic bodycam footage captured the moment one of the officers fires through his own windshield at the fleeing vehicle.

The cop can be seen leaning out of the window and firing several rounds, before putting another volley of fire through the glass.

Police named Umana and Soloman as the officers who fired their weapons, but did not say which one featured in the footage.

Rene Nunez, 30 (left), was shot during the chase but survived and was later arrested. Fidel Miranda, 22 (right), was shot and killed by police

The chase began after Thomas Romero, 25, father to a five-year-old daughter, was shot multiple times in the chest at a car wash in north Las Vegas and later died

At one point the officer even takes both of his hands off the steering wheel while his car is still travelling in order to fire at the SUV.

The car chase eventually comes to an end when the Expedition crashes into the side of Hollingsworth Elementary School, around two miles from where it began.

The officer can be seen getting out of his car and walking around the crashed vehicle with his weapon still drawn while it attempts to drive away.

Both suspects tried to flee on foot before 22-year-old Miranda was shot and killed.

Nunez, 30, was also shot but survived and was found hiding on school grounds later and arrested.

Around 100 pupils from kindergarten to fourth grade were placed on lockdown inside the school from shortly before 10am until 1pm when they were dismissed.

Nunez is now in jail charged with two counts of murder, three of attempted murder of police, and one of disobeying an officer resulting in death.

Miranda was wielding two handguns during the chase, police said, one of which was this .40 caliber Smith and Wesson SV40VE

Miranda's second handgun was this .45 caliber Glock Model 21

Nunez used this stolen 9mm Taurus pistol to fire at officers

He already has a criminal history dating back to 2010 when he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon.

Nunez also pleaded guilty to robbery in 2011 and larceny from a person in 2014.

Umana and Solomon both serve with the tourist safety division of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's downtown area command.

They have both been placed on administrative leave as is standard procedure pending an investigation into their use of force.

Umana joined the department in August 2001 and Solomon in September 2005.

Solomon has been commended for exemplary service once before after he responded to the scene of a fiery bus crash.

Along with another officer, he retrieved the wedding ring of one of the victims and was able to give it to the man's widow.