A deputy was shot and injured Friday morning during a struggle with a suspect, who then stole his cruiser and led other officers on a chase through Kalamazoo County, authorities say.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was responding shortly around 8:50 a.m. to a report of a theft from a vehicle in progress on East AB Avenue west of M-43, northwest of Richland. There was a struggle with the suspect and the deputy was shot, the sheriff’s office says.
The deputy was first taken to a hospital in Plainwell and then moved to one in the Kalamazoo area, where he was listed in stable condition.
After the shooting, the sheriff’s office said, the suspect stole the deputy’s cruiser and led other officers on a chase “through various areas of Kalamazoo County.” The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety says its officers joined the chase, which went through downtown.
A News 8 photojournalist witnessed the chase, reporting seeing well over a dozen cruisers heading down King Highway.
The chase ended with a crash along Lake Street near the I-94 Business Loop. There, News 8 saw the crashed cruiser surrounded by yellow police tape and a number of other police cars from the sheriff’s office and at least one from Michigan State Police.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect was “receiving treatment” and would then be jailed. It did not provide details about the suspect’s injuries or identity.
