A suspected armed robber being tracked by Metro Police detectives was shot by one of them early Saturday when he tried to flee from a south valley gas station, officials said.
The shooting occurred about 12:30 a.m. at a convenience store on Blue Diamond and Valley View boulevards, police said. Detectives with Metro’s Major Violators Unit had been conducting surveillance on the man when he drove up to pump gas.
Initially the man, who police said is suspected in at least eight armed robberies in the past two weeks, in which he’d become “increasingly violent,” complied with officer orders and got on the ground, said Metro Capt. Jamie Prosser via online briefing.
But police allege he was shot when he suddenly jumped up, ran back into the car and put it in gear. A female passenger was detained and a gun was found inside the car.
Police on Saturday didn’t identify the suspect, who was struck at least once and rushed to University Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
The investigation is ongoing and further details were not provided.
The detective involved in the shooting will be identified by Metro within 48 hours and a more detailed briefing is expected about 24 hours after that.
Metro is asking anyone with additional information to call its Force Investigation Team at 702-828-8452. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.