Police: Pursuit ends in Lake Nona after officers shoot car thief who tried to run them over

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Police shot an alleged car thief after a chase ended with a crash Wednesday, police said.

Orlando police Chief Orlando Rolon said a couple were attempting to sell their car to a man at a gas station Wednesday afternoon, but the man instead jumped in the vehicle and took off.

Catalina Jaramillo and Andres Mejia told Channel 9 the man they thought was a potential customer started asking them questions about the car's battery.

"I take a look inside the engine. It's normal. Perfect," Mejia said. "OK. I close the hood. I go for the passenger side, and that's it."

His wife got a frantic call.

"I said, 'What? The guy stole the car. Call the police!'" Jaramillo said.

The couple called police and used their own GPS device to track the vehicle. Police then followed the vehicle via helicopter and officers in an unmarked vehicle were able to deploy a StarChase dart device on the car.

Eventually the unmarked police vehicles caught up to the car and boxed it in. Police said the suspect backed into a business, then sped toward officers and shots were fired.

The vehicle left the area and eventually crashed into an elderly couple, police said. They are OK.

The suspect ended up at the Lake Nona exit of State Road 417, where he crashed again, police said. Rolon said the suspect got out of the car and was about to run, but a K-9 officer was able to bring the suspect to the ground.

The man, who was not publicly identified, was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound. He’s expected to survive.

No other information was released.

Cox Media Group