An off-duty Miami Twp. police officer shot an armed man he saw attempting to carjack motorists after apparently holding up a Shell service station in Miamisburg, authorities said Monday.
The unidentified suspect, who has been identified as a 17-year-old male, has injuries that not considered to be life-threatening, said Miami Twp. Police Sgt. Paul Nienhaus, adding that they have evidence the suspect may have also fired his weapon.
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The teenager has been treated and released and is being detained at the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center, Miamisburg police Sgt. Josiah Keefer said.
The teen’s initial appearance in court could occur in the next day or so, the sergeant said.
Nienhaus said the suspect may have been inebriated.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Shell Station robbed at gunpoint near I-75 and Ohio 725
- Off-duty Miami Twp. officer saw suspect try to carjack citizens
- Off-duty officer fired, hit suspect when threatened with gun
- Suspect suffered non-life threatening injuries, arrested in Ohio 725 intersection
- Ohio 725 is now re-opened after police investigation
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The suspect had just robbed the Shell station at the corner of Byers Road and Ohio 725 at gunpoint and fled in a black Chevrolet Camaro, Nienhaus said, when the suspect either stopped the vehicle or had a mechanical issue in the interchange of I-75 and Ohio 725.
The man then exited the vehicle and approached other vehicles in what appeared to be attempted carjackings, which the off-duty officer saw. The officer approached the suspect and demanded the suspect drop his gun, Nienhaus said.
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The suspect was said to have pointed his gun at the off-duty officer and that is when the officer fired his weapon, hitting the suspect at least once, Nienhaus said.
The unidentified officer was taken to Sycamore Medical Center as a precaution, which is standard protocol, Nienhaus said.
Miamisburg Police are handling the investigation. Scanner traffic from the incident suggests federal agents and unmarked police cars were already in the area. Nearby extended lodging sites near the Dayton Mall have posed challenges for law enforcement in the past.
The incident snagged street traffic Monday and slowed drivers on Interstate 75 southbound between I-75 and Ohio 725, near mile marker 44.
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The store manager at the Shell station said no customers or employees were hurt, but did not know if there was any damage to the store.
Monday’s incident isn’t the first at the service station.
In June 2014, Miamisburg police converged on a Knights Inn on Byers Road where a shoplifting suspect ran from the nearby Shell gas station. The man barricaded himself inside one of the rooms and refused to come out. He eventually surrendered and was taken into police custody. The gas station owner reportedly followed the suspect from the store to the hotel and saw which room he entered.
A year earlier, a police dog and officers searched the area looking for a suspect after an early morning holdup. The reported robber displayed a gun and then fled from the scene on foot. The K-9 unit followed a scent toward several hotels in the area, but no suspect was located.
The incident also marks the latest shooting involving a Miami Twp. police officer, following a shooting in December. Robert Edwards, 33, was shot and killed Dec. 20 by officers who said he refused to drop his weapon. Officers James McCarty and Shawn Todd responded to the call that Edwards was making suicidal threats, "drinking and ready to pull the trigger," police said. Officers later discovered the weapon was a pellet gun.