Posted on Tue, Oct. 09, 2007

Officers were looking for suspects in overnight spree of robberies

MELISSA MANWARE

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police shot one man, and a police dog bit another Monday as officers pursued suspects in an overnight robbery spree, officials said.

About 4:15 a.m., officers in east Charlotte spotted a 1997 GMC Jimmy sport utility vehicle reported as stolen in an earlier car-jacking.

As officers tried to stop the vehicle, two men jumped from it and ran on Florence Avenue off Rama Road, police said. A third man remained in the vehicle.

As officers chased the men on foot, police said, at least one of them fired toward the officers. Officers returned fire, striking one of the men.

That man was taken to Carolinas Medical Center for treatment of a serious injury. A second suspect was located by a police dog and bitten. A third also was taken into custody.

Police did not release the names of the three suspects Monday, saying they first need to contact victims and witnesses from the robberies. Charges against the three were pending Monday, police said.

The officers involved in the shooting -- David Artieri, Alvin "Joe" Mullis, and Eric Ryerson -- have been placed on administrative leave, which is routine in an officer-involved shooting.

Detectives are conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting and will present the results to prosecutors for review. Internal Affairs is conducting a separate investigation to determine whether department policies were violated.

Detectives also are investigating the robberies.

The SUV owner called police about 3 a.m., records show. She said four men took her vehicle at gunpoint in the 5300 block of Independence Boulevard.

About 2:30 a.m., two people called police from the 5900 block of Monroe Road and said they'd been robbed at gunpoint by three men, one of them armed. They said a female had been sexually assaulted by one of the suspects.

At 2 a.m., a robbery involving three men with a gun was reported in the University area.

Police did not provide complete descriptions of the suspects in each case, but similarities exist in the partial descriptions.

CharlotteObservder.com