Law enforcement is searching for an escaped inmate in a dense area of Los Angeles County … and cops say the inmate fled from a hospital where they were getting treatment.

The manhunt is going down right now in Torrance, in the southwestern part of the metro area … where police say an inmate escaped from custody during medical treatment at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center.

Cops have set up a perimeter and are searching the area … and there are reports the escaped inmate is a felony suspect who may be holed up in a home near the hospital.

Police helicopters are circling the skies and there are SWAT teams on the ground.