A Prince George’s County police officer shot three suspects as the van they were in smashed into a patrol car, authorities said.
The driver of the van remained in critical condition late Thursday. The other two men were expected to survive, police said.
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The shooting happened around 11 p.m. Wednesday. Prince George’s County police spokeswoman Capt. Misty Mints said a patrol officer drove up on a group of males who were hanging around a van in a business parking lot near Largo. The officer was part of a special patrol unit assigned to the area because the neighborhood had been recently struck by a rash of armed robberies, Mints said.
Several of the susptects scattered and at least three jumped into the van, which sped off. The officer followed the van south on Route 202 and called for backup as the van pulled into the parking lot of the county courthouse in Upper Marlboro.
Two officers following in another cruiser hopped out of their vehicle, expecting the van’s occupants to flee, Mints said.
Instead, the van made a U-turn. The driver hit the gas and headed toward the two officers and the second patrol car. The van hit a traffic sign and struck the left front of the police vehicle.
As that happened, one of the officers on foot “thinks his partner has been struck and he discharges his firearm,” Mints said. All three subjects were hit.
The other police officer on foot was able to avoid the oncoming van by diving back into his cruiser in the nick of time, Mints said. He was not seriously hurt.
The van was discovered to have been stolen. The three suspects face attempted murder and stolen vehicle charges.
Officials say the two officers involved will be placed on routine administrative leave.
