A police sergeant fired his weapon Saturday at a suspect who was attempting to rob a victim in a wheelchair in Lawrence, Massachusetts, police say.
Yellow crime scene tape was visible around a large section of Broadway as police investigated.
Lawrence police confirmed the officer-involved shooting Saturday evening, saying the sergeant, who police did not identify, interrupted an armed robbery in progress around 2:39 p.m. in the area of Broadway and Haverhill streets.
The sergeant was giving verbal commands when the suspect reached into his waistband and brandished a firearm, at which time the sergeant discharged his firearm at the suspect, according to police.
The suspect was not injured, police say, and he was taken into custody without incident.
The victim, who did not want to be identified, spoke to NBC10 Boston Saturday night and said it all started when the suspect tried to steal his cell phone.
"I'm in a wheelchair in front of a store, he bumps into me on purpose, wants to shake my hand, and say he's sorry, but that was just a cue to reach for my phone," the victim said.
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Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 Boston shows the ensuing scuffle.
"And he pulled out a gun, but little did he know there was a cop at the light seeing the whole thing," the victim continued. "The cop come out drawn, and he told him multiple times to comply, to get down, get down, because the cop knew he had a gun, he knew he had a gun, he saw it clean as day. He didn't comply, he started making gestures."
"He actually shot at him but he missed. I think it might have been a warning shot, who knows?" the victim continued. "I'm not sticking up for the cop or nothing but it was definitely a justifiable shooting."
The incident left people in the area shaken.
"I was a little frightened, scared," one woman said. "Very loud noise, and then I just saw them, and I saw the gun on the floor after they took the gun."
The suspect, who was not identified by police, will be arraigned Tuesday in Lawrence District Court. The exact charges the suspect is facing are not clear at this time.
Lawrence police say the sergeant who opened fire Saturday stopped a situation that could have been so much worse. An investigation is ongoing.
