LMPD officer shoots armed suspect during alleged car theft at Walmart in Fairdale
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – What began as a chase ended with one person being arrested and another being shot by a Louisville police officer at a Walmart in Fairdale.
According to Kentucky State Police, the chase began in Elizabethtown and ended with an accident at the intersection of Outer Loop and New Cut Road.
Officials said the car’s owner, Jeremy Bozarth, had expired registration, his driver’s license was suspended, and he had warrants for his arrest, and stated that was the reason for the attempted traffic stop. Bozarth was arrested after the crash and charged with speeding 26 mph, fleeing or eluding police, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, driving with a suspended or revoked license, missing/expired license plates, no registration certificate, owner’s failure to carry required insurance, property damage, and two counts of failure to appear on a misdemeanor.
Another man in the car ran from the scene into the Walmart on the Outer Loop.
LMPD interim Chief Paul Humphrey said the KSP police officer was able to flag down an off-duty LMPD officer, who called for backup. Humphrey said the suspect ran out of Walmart when officers found him. As he fled, Humphrey said, the suspect encountered a woman in line at the pharmacy and attempted to steal her car and possibly kidnap her.
When officers approached the car, the woman was in the driver’s seat and the suspect was in the passenger seat. Humphrey said the officer gave loud commands to the suspect before shooting the man multiple times.
The suspect was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment and will be charged accordingly. Humphrey said the man is expected to survive his injuries.
“We are very thankful that no one else was injured in this incident,” Humphrey said. “We’re talking about an armed suspect fleeing from police through a crowded Walmart in the middle of the afternoon. One can only imagine what might have been going on inside at that point. And what that did to this victim who was simply going about her business, trying to pick up a prescription at the Walmart pharmacy, when an armed man jumped into her passenger seat.”
The officer involved will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the investigation and the bodycam footage will be released in 10 business days.
“This should serve as a lesson that LMPD is out here working to keep people safe,” Humphrey said. “We are very proud of the actions this officer took to save this woman’s life today.”
Humphrey said criminals should be “informed” that House Bill 5 now contains new parameters that require mandatory serving of 85 percent of the sentence for violent crimes.
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