RUSH HOUR BULLETS
Cops shoot, injure fleeing trailer cab 'thief'

Tuesday, July 31, 2007
By N. CLARK JUDD
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Cops yesterday fired at least 20 times at the driver of a stolen tractor-trailer cab in a rush-hour standoff that left the alleged thief with at least one gunshot wound and a bystander and four cops with minor injuries, police and witnesses said.

Aaron Burchette, who knows the owner of the stolen rig, called police when he spotted the rig at a Duncan Avenue tire shop at about 5:30 p.m. Burchette said the rig had been stolen Sunday night and that the owner had told him to be on the lookout for it.

Burchette followed it southbound through rush-hour traffic on Routes 1&9 and kept police updated on its location, he said. As Burchette watched nearby, an unmarked police car pulled behind the rig in traffic on Routes 1&9, between Duncan and Communipaw avenues.

Two plainclothes officers got out of their car and approached the side of the rig to check the driver, and when they were alongside the driver's side door, the driver headed straight for them and into the northbound lanes, police said. Police said the cops then opened fire.

"I would have done the same thing," said Burchette, who watched it happen. "I mean, you've got an 18,000-pound vehicle coming at you."

A marked police vehicle had arrived from the other direction on Routes 1&9 by that time, Burchette said. The rig driver rammed that vehicle, and another car in the process. Police said it was unclear yesterday if a third cop opened fire, and could not confirm how many rounds had been discharged in the incident.

The thief, who police have not identified, was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment and was in extremely serious condition last night, Jersey City spokesman Stan Eason said. Police said it was unclear last night if he had sustained a single gunshot wound or multiple wounds.

The barrage of bullets was heard by people at the nearby Lincoln Park and baseball field.

"I thought it was firecrackers at first," said Absalom Lopez, who was about to go for a run at the track in the park when he heard the gunfire. When the shooting continued, he said, "Then I knew it was bullets."

Shell casings sprinkled the ground next to the marked police SUV after the shooting, marked with yellow evidence tags.

Witnesses said police didn't stop shooting until after the rig stopped moving. "The truck is already stopped, and you still heard gunfire," said Richard Labrador, who watched the end of the incident from across a grassy field.

"Based on the preliminary review, it appears to be a justified shooting," said Hudson County First Assistant Prosecutor Guy Gregory.

Four police officers and a civilian were also treated at the Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries, police said. "It's not uncommon for you to slip or fall and bump into something as you attempt to avoid a tractor trailer in traffic," explained Jersey City Police Chief Thomas J. Comey.

Traffic on Routes 1&9 between Communipaw and Duncan avenues was halted for at least two hours after the incident while police investigated.

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Police shoot driver of stolen rig

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, July 31st 2007, 4:00 AM

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Police shot and wounded a man driving a stolen tractor-trailer cab who rammed the truck into a patrol car that was trying to stop it.

Police were called about 5:30 p.m. Monday after the rig, which had been stolen Sunday, was spotted at a tire store.

An unmarked police car stopped the truck on Routes 1&9, but as officers approached the rig, the driver drove at them. The officers opened fire.

The truck rammed a patrol car that was trying to block it and also collided with a civilian car. Police pulled the suspect from the truck cab, and he was taken to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment. He was in extremely serious condition, Jersey City spokesman Stan Eason said. It was not immediately known how many times he had been hit.

Four police officers and a civilian were also treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Witnesses said at least 20 shots were fired. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office was reviewing the incident.

"Based on the preliminary review, it appears to be a justified shooting," said First Assistant Prosecutor Guy Gregory.

Routes 1&9 were closed in the area for about two hours as police investigated.

NJ.com-

Witnesses: Suspect shot by cops on Routes 1&9
A man who witnesses say stole the cab of a tractor trailer was shot at about 5:45 tonight by police on Routes 1&9 in Jersey City, witnesses said.

Witnesses said the thief tried to run over a Jersey City police officer after the stolen vehicle was pulled over. Police in the vehicle behind the tractor trailer cab began firing when the cab backed up, witnesses said.

The cab then went forward and rammed the police vehicle in front of it, witnesses said. That's when police in front of the rig opened fire as well. One witness estimated that at least 20 shots were fired.

The driver, who may have been shot in the head, was pulled from the cab, witnesses said, and taken to the Jersey City Medical Center.

A portion of Routes 1&9 is closed as police investigate.

yea i heard about that too i think the suspect stole a truck and tries to sell the tires in jersey city something like that not sure thou

I was right in the middle of that. QUITE A MESS. But there were at least 4 ambulances that had sirens on going both to and away from the scene. There had to be much more to this than the article says.

Police-Involved Shooting, Pileup In Jersey City

WNBC

JERSEY CITY -- A tractor-trailer cab, police vehicle and a sedan were in a pileup at the scene of a police-involved shooting in Jersey City.

It wasn't clear if the shooting happened before, during or after the collision.

Chopper 4 shot video of the scene, showing the nose of the tractor-trailer cab up against the side of a large maroon sedan on Route 1 and 9.

The Jersey City Police vehicle was only a few feet away from the cab, its rear fender touching the sedan. The door of the police SUV appeared to be detached and lying on the ground.

Traffic was being diverted as officials investigated the scene. Numerous police markers dotted the road, indicating spent bullet casings.

There were no reports of injuries, though one ambulance had left the scene.