State Troop draws weapon and fires away.

 Thursday, April 14, 2005   late afternoon in the Factory Outlets in West Ocean City a shoplifter was fired upon while fleeing in his car.

Rifling down Route 50 at speeds up to 110 miles per hour the shoplifter headed towards Salisbury where he was later apprehended.   Identified was Harvey Cordell Spencer 49, of Fruitland, Maryland.     The suspect had knocked down a State Trooper with his car at the mall, smashed into the Deputy's vehicle, and attempted to run over another Trooper laying down spike traps before he was stopped.

The confrontation began after a security guard had called police and noticed the Trooper talking to the alleged shoplifter.    As the Trooper was questioning the suspect in his car the suspect reared away knocking down the Trooper and attempted to run over the Trooper.    The Trooper opened fire...  one stray bullet was said to smash through the rear window of a bystander's parked vehicle.   And the chase ensued down Route 50.

State Trooper Brooks Phillips, the officer on the scene was not injured during the incident.