Police officer shoots driver after 2nd officer dragged by stolen car

A Calgary police officer shot the driver of a stolen car after a second officer was dragged through an alley,said chief Roger Chaffin.

It happened at around7 p.m. MT on Thursday night, when two officers in a marked police car approached a stolen Honda Civic that had pulled over in an alley in the3800 block of30th Avenue S.E. in Dover.

One of the officers ended up being dragged by the vehicleand the other officer fired his gun at the driver.

The driver, a 21-year-old man,was taken to hospital with seriousbut non-life threatening injuries.

The officer who was dragged had minor injuries. Both officers have been with the Calgary police for three years.

'Chaotic events'

The incident highlights the dangers officers face when dealing with vehicle thefts, which can involve drugs or loaded firearms,said Chaffin.

"They are becoming incredibly chaotic events," he said.

There have been approximately 4,000 vehicle thefts so far this year, and theincident Thursday night was the third stop of a stolen vehicle by Calgary officers that day.

"This happened in a residential neighbourhood. There seems to be no regard for property or life, and then the fact that they are targeting our officers at times to do this, there's just no regard at all for the safety of anybody," said Chaffin.

"The things the public doesn't see is just how hard we have to work to try to find a safe resolution to these events. But tonight was a night where it ended in a shooting, unfortunately."

TheAlberta Serious Incident Response Team, which looks into officer-involved shootings, is investigating.

Both officers will be given "a period of rest and recovery," Chaffin said.

"Calgary remains to be a very safe city, it's just these events are starting to happenmore often ...it's something we are prepared for, but it's difficult."

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