Armed 'Rappers' Behind Cop-Stalking Video

A 1990s rap group looking to make a comeback was behind an online video showing an armed man appearing to stalk an unsuspecting police officer, authorities have said.

The footage posted on Instagram was shot from inside a vehicle and showed a uniformed Los Angeles police officer getting out of his patrol car.

The camera then tilts down to show someone holding a handgun before hiding it under a piece of clothing.

The Los Angeles Police Department has been investigating, but detectives have now decided the video was "for entertainment purposes only and was not a credible threat to police officers".

"The investigation revealed that the film was made by members of an early 1990s rap group no longer in fashion," LAPD said in a news release on Tuesday, without identifying the group.

"The film was made and posted on social media to ignite a comeback by the rap group."

The footage initially sparked concern at a time of heightened tension between police and communities across the US.

"It's completely frightening, and I know that a lot of the wives are scared," an unidentified member of the LAPD Wives Association told CBS Los Angeles.

"They just want to do their job, and yet all this hatred is coming at them and it's just becoming more and more violent. (The wives) are so scared that their husbands are not going to come home."

An felony arrest warrant was issued for one suspect who had a prior conviction for carrying a firearm, police said. The investigation is ongoing.