Police-involved shooting in Bayonne Burger King parking lot under investigation
BAYONNE, N.J. -- A shooting involving police in the parking lot of a New Jersey Burger King is under investigation.
It happened during the morning commute Thursday outside the Burger King on Broadway near West 53rd Street in Bayonne.
Chopper 2 was over the scene where crime scene tape blocked off the parking lot and several blocks around the restaurant.
Witnesses told CBS New York the suspect didn't pay for gas and was fleeing officers when he crashed into a police cruiser.
⚠️ TRAFFIC ALERT ⚠️ Due to Police Activity, Broadway between 53rd & 55th Street, and associated side streets, is CLOSED....
Posted by Bayonne Office of Emergency Management on Thursday, July 13, 2023
Gabe Escobar, an attendant at the Quick Stop on the corner, said the suspect told him he'd pay in cash, but took off instead.
"He was driving a Honda Accord. He basically didn't pay and he just took off. So at that instance, we just called the cops," said Escobar.
Police said they tracked the driver to the Burger King. They said the driver tried to flee and smashed into two police cruisers and an unoccupied car when officers approached.
"He tried to run away. So he reversed back, he hit the police car, front bumper fell off, and then they started to stop him," a worker at the Burger King said.
One officer fired his weapon, according to police. A short time later, the driver was found on Linden Avenue and Scott Street with apparent gunshot wounds.
The driver was in custody and taken to Jersey City Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Shooting Response Team took over the investigation.