COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man was seriously injured in a police-involved shooting on the city's west side Saturday night.
The incident occurred in the area of 1440 West Rich Street shortly after 4 p.m.
Columbus police officers patrolling the area saw two men parked in what they considered a suspicious car behind an apartment complex. When the officers approached the vehicle, police said, the driver accelerated in their direction. The officers fired their weapons.
A passenger jumped from the moving vehicle and was taken into custody.
Columbus Police Sgt. Rich Weiner said both the officers and passenger were not injured.
After searching the area on foot, by vehicle and with the help of a Columbus police helicopter, officers found the vehicle nearly three hours later in front of 3557 Bremen Street, after a report of a shooting there.
There, police found the driver with a gunshot wound. The suspect was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital in serious condition.
Police have not filed charges, pending further investigation.
Weiner said police consider cars weapons.
"It's a proven fact. Cars are weapons. Depending upon how that vehicle is driven at the officer, it's a split-second decision that the officer has," he said.
There have been several police-involved shootings in Columbus during the last few months. Weiner said he does not believe suspects are targeting police.
"It's our duty to put ourselves in positions where the public doesn't find itself. It just happens to be that we've had a few here recently at the end of the year, especially. It's just part of doing business and we've been very fortunate not to have an officer lose his life," he said.
The officers involved in the shooting were Officer Jeffrey A. Beine and Officer Ryan A. Rosser. Beine and Rosser have been employed by the Division for three years and are assigned to 8 Precinct B Company.
The suspect has not been identified currently.
Following procedure, the involved officers will receive mandatory psychological support counseling and will be allowed to take time off to help them recover from what can be a traumatic experience.
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