An Austin police officer and a trooper with the Department of Public Safety were involved in a shooting Monday night. According to top brass with the Austin Police Department, the incident began with a traffic stop and ended with one man hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Around 11:15 p.m. Monday, the Austin police officer attempted to stop a man riding a motorcycle. Once stopped, the man reportedly bailed off of the bike and ran away, touching off a foot pursuit that continued along Cameron Road.
“As the officer was chasing the subject, he did observe that the subject was holding a firearm,” said Chief of Police Joseph Chacon.
Nearby, a DPS trooper was monitoring the APD radio band and when the call came through, the trooper then rushed to assist the officer.
As the pursuit continued, the man made his way into a parking lot in the 6300 block of Cameron Road and reportedly made a beeline for a car with one person inside.
“The motorcycle operator entered that vehicle from the passenger side and attempted to carjack that vehicle, telling the operator of the vehicle to begin driving,” Chacon said.
It was at that point that both the APD officer and the DPS trooper drew their weapons.
“The officer and the trooper obviously observed this, and both then discharged their firearms,” said Chacon.
The man was in the passenger seat at the time and was struck by the gunfire, but the driver of the car was able to make a quick escape and remained unharmed. The man was later taken to the hospital for treatment and is currently in stable condition.
No names have been provided of any of the parties involved. Both the APD officer and the DPS trooper will be placed on leave as the investigation continues.
