PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A police officer in Chester County shot and wounded a suspected car thief after he allegedly rammed into a police vehicle and threatened to shoot at the officers pursuing him, although he turned out to be unarmed.
It happened at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, near the intersection of Westerham and Shelburne roads in Caln Township.
Authorities say Caln police officers were attempting to deploy stop strips to disable a vehicle that the suspect allegedly stole from a convenience store parking lot in Downingtown.
Prosecutors say that as the officer was getting strips from his marked police vehicle, the driver then crashed head-on into it, then got out of the car and walked away.
When officers came toward him, he yelled to officers, “I’ll shoot,” the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said.
One of the officers fired four times and struck the man in the leg, according to authorities.
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Officials say he still refused to follow orders after he was shot, so officers deployed a taser and were able to take him into custody.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
There was no initial word on the charges the suspect faces, and officials are continuing their investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.