Police: Off-duty officer shoots suspect trying to rob him in Newark

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Off-duty officer shoots robbery suspect in Newark
Josh Einiger has the latest on the shooting of a robbery suspect in Newark.

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Authorities say an off-duty officer in Newark shot an armed robbery suspect Tuesday night.

The suspect reportedly tried to rob a barbershop in the 400 block of Orange Street around 8:30 p.m. where the off-duty cop was a customer.

The brother of a witness to the incident said the suspect pulled the trigger of his gun twice. Apparently his gun jammed and that is when a barber and the off-duty officer tackled him.

After a struggle over the gun, the off-duty officer fired a gun twice, hitting the suspect who then took off running out of the barbershop and got into a getaway car.

The off-duty officer ran next door to a police station and gathered other officers who then proceeded to chase the getaway car.

Investigators later pulled over a Dodge Challenger and the injured suspect and another man jumped out of the vehicle and ran into an industrial area before they were both caught by police.

Officials say the suspect's injuries were not life threatening and the off-duty officer was not injured.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

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