Aug. 12 (UPI) — A Minneapolis police officer was shot and wounded while pursuing suspects in a robbery, the city’s police chief says.
Chief Brian O’Hara said the officer, who is a seven-year veteran of the MPD, was riding in an unmarked car on Friday when he was ambushed with automatic gunfire and wounded in the shoulder.
“By the grace of God, he is alive, awake and talking,” O’Hara told reporters during a press briefing.
While authorities have not named the wounded officer, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune cited multiple sources in identifying the victim as Officer Jacob Spies.
At about 8 p.m., in the wake of a robbery, police say they saw a white Chevrolet Equinox and attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver initially pulled over to the side of the road but then drove off, leading to a pursuit.
Tonight a 7-year veteran of the MPD assigned to 4th Precinct CRT was shot in the line of duty. Personnel from MPD, our local LE partners, and many from nearby agencies gathered at NMMC in solidarity to show support and honor our officer once he was discharged from the hospital. pic.twitter.com/EUI8p9q69O— Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) August 12, 2023
At around 9 p.m. the officer who would eventually be wounded was driving in an “unconventional” vehicle and spotted the Equinox.
The officer pursued the suspect car but thought he was “undetected while he was calling for additional officers,” according to O’Hara.
At about 9:16 p.m., the officer was ambushed on the city’s North Side with an automatic weapon.
Authorities say at least 14 shots were fired, of which six struct the vehicle and one struck the officer in his shoulder.
The officer continued driving but was eventually pulled from his car by another officer and brought to a local hospital, the chief said.
After the ambush, officers observed the suspect vehicle and pursued it until it crashed into a parking lot.
Four people, including one woman, two men and a teenage boy, were arrested. All of them but the woman were hospitalized for “minor injuries,” including a bite from a police dog.
The officer was discharged from the hospital early Saturday.
“Tonight a 7-year veteran of the MPD assigned to 4th Precinct CRT was shot in the line of duty,” the MPD posted on X Saturday. “Personnel from MPD, our local [law enforcement] partners, and many from nearby agencies gathered at [North Memorial Medical Center] in solidarity to show support and honor our officer once he was discharged from the hospital.”