A 21-year-old suspect in a drive-by shooting that injured 11 men in Florida last month was killed by a police officer Monday after a chase and a carjacking, authorities said.
Investigators were keeping an eye on the suspect, identified as Alex Greene, whom detectives wanted to take with an outstanding search warrant to speak with him about what they called a “targeted attack” near Iowa Avenue North and Plum Street in Lakeland on May 1. January. 30.
“We are very confident that he was in fact involved; to what extent we don’t know yet,” said Lakeland Police Chief Sammy Taylor.
However, Greene got into a pickup truck and began to drive away during the surveillance, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference.
SHOOTING VEHICLE FOUND IN FLORIDA, POLICE HAVE ‘VERY PROMISING’ CLUES ABOUT SUSPECTS AFTER 11 INJURED
Police say multiple people were shot and wounded during a drive-by shooting in a central Florida neighborhood on January 30. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)
Lakeland police pursued them on a busy highway until an officer in an unmarked car made a pit stop and stopped the van.
Greene ran through heavy traffic to evade capture, and the officer, identified as Police Captain Eric Harper, gave chase.
When Greene realized she couldn’t escape, she ran into a restaurant where a woman was standing outside her car with the doors open, Judd said. The woman saw Greene and tried to close the doors, but she pushed her aside and jumped into the car.
Eleven people were shot in a drive-by shooting in Lakeland, Florida, on January 30, authorities said. (FOX13 Tampa WTVT, File)
Harper approached the vehicle, gun drawn, but Greene refused to stop.
“The suspect leaves in her car, drives toward Captain Harper, who shoots six times,” Judd said. “The car continues on a road, through flower beds and crashes into a building.”
FLORIDA MOM FOUND DEAD ON STREET NEAR SUV WITH HER SLEEPING TODDLER INSIDE, HOMICIDE DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING
Law enforcement officers removed Greene from the car and began performing CPR on him. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported during the chase.
Greene had 10 prior felony charges, including fleeing to evade police, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possession of a weapon and resisting arrest, Judd said. He had an outstanding warrant for robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor holds up a photo of the car of the suspect who was involved in a shooting on January 31 in Lakeland, Florida. Police said at least two of the four suspected occupants are believed to have opened fire. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)
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Authorities previously said they believed four people were in the suspected vehicle used in the shooting. No details were immediately provided on other suspects in the shooting.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
