Cranston police officer shoots vehicle after shoplifting in Garden City

By RORY SCHULER

A Cranston police officer fired shots at a fleeing vehicle Sunday night after a shoplifting incident was reported at the Garden City Shopping Center. Police are still searching for the vehicle and its occupants.

According to a Cranston Police Department news release, a driver refused to exit his vehicle at a traffic light and nearly struck an officer as he tried to flee. The officer then fired shots at the vehicle, police said.

Late Sunday evening, Maj. Todd Patalano, CPD’s chief of administrative services, released a statement on behalf of the department.

According to the press release, a Cranston police officer fired a firearm “at a suspect who was fleeing from an officer attempting to arrest two shoplifting suspects,” which led to a “multi-agency investigation.”

On Sunday, June 16, at approximately 5:16 p.m., Cranston Police were called to investigate a “shoplifting” reported by an employee at the Garden City Shopping Center.

“The license plate number and description of the suspect vehicle were transmitted to the Cranston Police Department’s dispatch center and distributed to all patrol officers,” Cranston Police said.

About five minutes later, at around 5:21 p.m., “an officer observed the vehicle in traffic at a red light on Reservoir Avenue, just south of the Route 10 on-ramp in the city of Providence,” the press release states. “The officer approached the suspect vehicle on foot, opened the driver’s door and ordered the occupants to exit.”

According to police, the driver of the vehicle “refused to follow the police officer’s instructions while the passenger asked the driver to flee.”

“The vehicle made contact with the officer, who fired a single shot from a service weapon,” police said. “The driver fled north on Route 10 and was last seen near Niantic Avenue. The officer was transported by ambulance to Kent County Hospital and treated for injuries sustained in the incident.”

The injured officer has since been released from the hospital.

“As is standard practice with all officer-involved shootings, the incident is being investigated by a multi-agency investigative team comprised of members of the Cranston Police Department, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office,” the press release states. “The suspects are currently at large and the vehicle has not yet been located.”