A man with a concealed carry permit shot at an armed robbery suspect who was running from a cell phone store in Crestwood, prompting an officer who was also chasing the suspect to take cover, police said.
The man with the permit told police he was about to step inside an AT&T store at 4756 W. Cal-Sag Road around noon Saturday when he noticed the store was being robbed, Crestwood police said in a statement.
The man said he stayed outside to prevent anyone from entering, police said. After he saw the suspect leaving through a back door, he entered the store and ran out the back too, according to police.
Meanwhile, an officer had been flagged down by several people who told them the store was being robbed, police said. The officer spotted someone running from the rear of the building with a large duffel bag and a gun in his hand, police said.
As the officer began chasing the suspect, the man with the concealed carry permit saw the suspect and fired two shots, police said.
"Since the officer did not know where the shots were fired from, he was forced to terminate his foot pursuit and take cover for his own safety," police said in the statement.
The man with the permit later told police he ran through the store and fired at the suspect because he had seen the officer run behind the building.
"He was concerned for the safety of the police officer that he saw go behind the building," police said in the statement. "It was at this time that he ran into the store and out the back door and fired two shots in the direction of the suspect who was running towards the canal"
Crestwood and Palos Heights police set up a perimeter along the Cal-Sag Canal and arrested the suspect as he ran from the woods, police said.
No injuries were reported.
The suspect, Demetrius Merrill of Chicago, was charged with armed robbery and ordered held on $1 million bail.
Copyright 2014 - Chicago Tribune
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
