Fairfax Police Shoot Man Who Allegedly Stole Car, Cruiser

A county police officer shot a man who allegedly stole a car in Falls Church then stole a Fairfax County Police cruiser.

The man is being treated for non-life threatening wounds at the Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said officers were called to the 2900 block of Westcott Street in Falls Church at about 4:30 p.m. for a suspicious man in a black Mercedes Benz SL 500. When police arrived, the man jumped out of the car and ran off with police chasing, Caldwell said. When the man circled the block, he jumped into an empty, unmarked Crown Victoria police cruiser and sped off, she said.

The man drove around the block in the police car then returned to the stolen Mercedes and sped off.

Officers tried to stop the car with road spikes on Graham Road but the man swerved around them. That's when the officer shot him, Caldwell said. The officer fired his Sig Sauer .40-caliber handgun.

The man turned onto Arlington Boulevard and the car came to a stop in front of the Kingsley Commons townhomes.

Caldwell said they aren't releasing the man's name and age yet. Police did not release the name of the officer who shot the man.

"It's a complex investigation with several scenes," Caldwell said.

As police and fire and rescue lights flickered in the cold, wet night, traffic was backed up in both directions on Arlington Boulevard. Dozens of people watched as police canvassed the area.