Robber flees after officer fires at him

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 | 11:32 a.m.

A robber escaped from police after an officer shot at him Wednesday night as he fled from a convenience store, Metro Police Capt. Dennis Cobb said.

Two plainclothes police officers in the area of Spencer Street and Twain Avenue saw one man fleeing from another about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and learned that the convenience store had just been robbed. Cobb said.

The officers gave chase and one of them spotted the fleeing man in an alley west of Spencer, Cobb said.

The man got into a sport utility vehicle and drove toward the officer. The officer backed away, but had nowhere to go, Cobb said. With his back against a garbage bin, the officer fired several times at the SUV.

The man, driving a red, midsized SUV with paper temporary license plates, fled the scene. The car's plates indicated it had been purchased or stolen from Budget Rent-a-Car. It is unknown if the officer's gunfire hit the man or the car, Cobb said.

The suspect is described as a black man in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, with short cropped hair and clean shaven. He was seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and light pants.

Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 385-5555 or the Homicide Section at 229-3521.