Police fire shots at car during chase

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Officers fired shots at a car fleeing from police in Northwest Jacksonville on Tuesday afternoon before a man and woman were stopped and taken into custody.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office cold case unit was called to  West 45th Street and Dodge Road, where the pursuit ended just after 1 p.m.

JSO Assistant Chief Annie Smith said the incident started when the owner of a pawn shop on Lem Turner Road became concerned that a man loitering outside was going to rob him. A store clerk told police she saw a man hanging out by the store with a silver gun in his waistband.

When officers arrived, the man got into a car with a woman and took off, with officers giving chase. During the chase, the suspects hit a dead end road.

"Both officers exited their vehicle and ordered the individuals to surrender," Smith said. "They did not, so the vehicle took off towards Sgt. (A.A.) Webb and attempted to run him over. He was struck by the vehicle and sustained minor injuries, but fortunately he is OK. As he was attempting to jump out of the way of the car, he fired his weapon at the suspect, as did the other officer."

The car was finally stopped when an officer in a cruiser performed a PIT maneuver, sending the suspect's car out of control. The man and woman were taken into custody without incident. Their names and what charges they were facing were not immediately known.

Two officers -- Webb, a 24-year JSO veteran, and Officer L.G. Agle, a five-year veteran -- were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure when officers fire their weapons.

Police said they recovered the suspects' weapon.

There are several schools in the area, and one private school on West 45th Street, which was blocked off for about a half-mile, was included in the crime scene. Parents arriving to pick up their children had to be escorted by police.

"It's a scary situation because it's a bunch of children in this area and parents," parent Lisa Widener said. "This is scary, and I just started bringing my daughter here to this school and I don't want to be driving here to see this kind of thing."