2 Suspects Wanted After Attempting To Steal Cart Full Of Home Depot Power Tools, Crowbar In College Park
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) -- Prince George's County Police said a female officer fired at a suspect vehicle after an attempted theft at a Home Depot in College Park Thursday morning. The shooting was in the parking lot of the hardware store in the 4700 block of Cherry Hill Road.
PGPD Chief Hank Stawinski said an officer was at the store for a robbery suppression operation after store management reported repeated thefts by known suspects.
One suspect saw the officer and fled to a getaway car. As the manager spoke to the officer outside the store, a second suspect came out of the store with a cart full of power tools, holding a crowbar.
Seeing the officer, the suspect fled -- running with the cart and crowbar across the parking lot. The officer briefly pursued the suspect on foot. Then the suspect jumped into a parked gold SUV, police said.
The officer confronted the three suspects in the vehicle and gave them orders while her weapon was drawn, Stawinski said.
On surveillance footage, police could see that the suspects drove toward the officer and struck the officer with the SUV. She fired a shot, but it didn't hit the suspects or the vehicle, police believe.
The suspects fled the Home Depot parking lot in the SUV and police put out a 'Be On The Lookout' alert. Nearby, patrol officer saw the suspect vehicle fleeing down University Boulevard.
Those officers made a traffic stop and arrested the driver of the vehicle.
But, the two other suspects fled. Police are now looking for these suspects.
The suspects are known to police, but they have not identified them.
Stawinski said the officer involved in the shooting was a 9-year-veteran of the force.
College Park is where University of Maryland is located, however this shooting is not on campus.
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