Suspect sought after shooting at 2 Rock Hill officers

A suspect is on the loose after shooting at two Rock Hill police officers during a chase late Wednesday, according to officials.

Officers on patrol around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday spotted a 1991 Nissan driving erratically on Cherry Road and Oakland Avenue and initiated a traffic stop on Ebenezer Avenue Extension, said Capt. Mark Bollinger, a Rock Hill police spokesman. The Nissan pulled over in an apartment parking lot and the driver, who was the car’s only occupant, got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

Police chased the man into a nearby yard, where he was blocked by a fence, Bollinger said. He then pulled out a gun and fired at least one shot at the two officers, one of whom returned fire.

“The suspect then got over the fence and continued to flee,” Bollinger said. “The officers involved were not injured, and at this time we have no indication whether the suspect was struck or not.”

Police say the suspect was a black male wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and light-colored hat. Investigators are still working to identify him.

Officers continued pursuing the man but lost him in the 1000 block of Ebenezer Avenue Extension, Bollinger said. Detectives, K-9 teams and the SWAT team were called out in an attempt to locate the suspect.

Because an officer discharged his weapon, Bollinger said, the State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case as an independent agency. The officer who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard department protocol for an officer-involved shooting.

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Suspect sought after shooting at 2 Rock Hill officers."