Published Saturday, July 29, 2017 | 11:29 a.m.
Updated Saturday, July 29, 2017 | 2:02 p.m.
A Metro Police officer fired a shotgun at a crowbar-wielding suspect during a chase of three men who allegedly burglarized a central valley marijuana dispensary early today, officials reported.
No one was injured, but four suspects, including a would-be getaway driver, were arrested soon after the approximately 4:20 a.m. shooting, Metro Capt. Kelly McMahill said in a briefing.
Police were dispatched about 20 minutes earlier to the Blackjack Collective dispensary, 1860 Western Ave., near Interstate 15, McMahill said. She described the incident as follows:
The business was apparently closed and a private security company in a remote area reported seeing three men armed with crowbars burglarizing the dispensary, breaking through walls and taking items to a car waiting in the parking lot.
Two officers arrived while the burglary was in progress and the suspects took off running, failing to obey orders to stop.
It wasn’t immediately clear what happened next, but an officer fired a shotgun toward one of the suspects, who was carrying a 3 ½-foot-long “industrial-size” crowbar. No one was injured, and the chase continued.
One of the suspects was quickly apprehended and the two others were taken into custody near I-15 and Sahara Ave., McMahill said. The getaway driver was arrested by a downtown police officer, and inside the car, police found several items linked to the burglary.
Metro's policy for officer-involved shootings calls for the department to provide further details within the next 72 hours.
