Suspect Hospitalized After Possible Carjacking Leads To Police-Involved Shooting In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A suspected carjacking led to a police-involved shooting late Sunday night in Queens.
Shots were fired after officers tracked down the vehicle and confronted two men inside.
Police said the victim left his car running while he went inside a restaurant to grab food. When he came out, it was gone.
Around 9:30 p.m., the man called 911 saying he was unharmed but his car had been stolen.
"Responding officers were met by a male victim, who informed the officers that he left his keys inside of his vehicle and two men fled the location with his vehicle," NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes told reporters overnight.
Watch as @NYPDChiefPatrol provides preliminary details on the police involved shooting in the @nypd103pct in Queens. pic.twitter.com/S3G001HD5m
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 25, 2021
Officers found the stolen vehicle with two suspects inside at the corner of 97th and Allendale avenues in Jamaica.
"The officers tracked the victim's cellphone, which was still inside the vehicle," Holmes said.
The situation then escalated when police say the officers got out of their marked police car.
"The suspects accelerated in reverse at a high rate of speed into a marked police van," said Holmes. "One officer discharged his firearm and struck the 28-year-old male in the chest."
The injured passenger was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in stable condition.
The 21-year-old driver was not harmed in the shooting. He was taken into custody, and charges are pending.
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Neighbors told CBS2's John Dias they were glad the suspects were apprehended.
"I don't know what's going through people's minds these days," Jamaica resident Iall Sahadeo said.
"It's just, basically, it's crazy, crazy," resident Letesha Riley added.
Some witnesses alleged it was more of an accidental shooting.
"They was like, 'he was shot, a shot went off, a shot went off.' Then next thing you know, all the cops just went quiet, nobody was talking or anything like that," said one witness. "Then when they realized everybody was videoing, they was like, 'you guys, get five houses back.'"
While the investigation continues, police insist the officers did the correct thing.
They were taken to an area hospital for an evaluation, but were not injured.