PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Prince George's County police are investigating an incident early Sunday morning where an officer shot a suspect.
Around 1:50 a.m., two patrol officers stopped at a closed gas station in the 7600 block of Crain Highway in Clinton, Maryland. They were on patrol in the area for reports of a burglary of a fast-food restaurant in the area about an hour prior, Prince George's County Police Chief, Malik Aziz, said at a news conference. The two officers were searching for the car suspected in that burglary.
Officers found the suspected car at the closed gas station and pulled in. Two suspects then ran out of the gas station and got into a van, Aziz said.
Both officers approached the driver's side of the van, and one opened the driver side door and attempted to remove the driver, Aziz said. According to police, the suspect began to drive off, with the officer halfway inside the van. The second officer then fired his weapon one time, hitting the driver, Aziz said.
The suspect continued to flee with the officer halfway inside the car, and the officer was thrown from the van as it was moving, Aziz said.
A vehicle pursuit lasted more than 30 minutes when the van became disabled at Branch Avenue and Bonita Street in Temple Hills. The driver and a second suspect were then apprehended, Aziz said.
The suspect and the officer were transported to a hospital. They were both treated and released, according to Aziz.
Police searched the gas station and found a pry bar and "other burglary tools," Aziz said. The ATM was also tampered with, he said. No weapons were found.
The involved van is believed to have been stolen from a nearby church earlier that night.
Both suspects will be charged with assault, burglary and other related charges for Sunday's incident, Aziz said.
The two were identified Monday as 51-year-old Dennis Burkett of Brandywine and 50-year-old Robert Burkett Jr. of Temple Hills.
The officer who fired his weapon will be put on administrative leave, which is routine, Aziz said.
Detectives are looking into if the suspects are connected to other burglaries, Aziz said. The methodologies match more than a dozen burglaries, he said.
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