Teen shot, arrested after trying to run over officer

SUNRISE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A teenager has been arrested after a police officer had to shoot him when he allegedly tried to run the officer over with a stolen sport utility vehicle.

Sunrise Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Alexander Roberts and said he confessed to gunning the car toward a Lauderhill officer, just after midnight, Thursday. That officer was hit in his forearm and crashed the Mercedes Benz SUV into a vacant duplex.

Police took Roberts into custody on the scene. Rescue crews transported him to Broward Health Medical Center. He was discharged later in the morning, and he is now at the juvenile assessment center in Broward County.

Police spotted the teen driving erratically in the area of Northwest 19th Street, in Lauderhill, at the wheel of the SUV. "We spotted the vehicle and attempted to make contact with the driver," said Lauderhill Police Captain Rick Rocco.

When police tried to pull him over, he hit several parked cars on the street bordering Lauderhill and Sunrise before driving toward a police officer on Northwest 58th Terrace. That is when the officer opened fire.

Angela Alvin witnessed the accident. "He slowed down, like he knew where to go, so after that, I heard the crash and then heard the gunshots," she said.

The woman who owns the SUV said she had no idea a friend of her son had stolen her car until police notified her. "This is bad, this is bad," said Bernadette Brince, "because I need my car in the morning to go to work."

Brince subsequently called out from work as police continued their investigation at the scene. The vehicle was towed away from the crash scene just before noon.

According to Brince, her son's friend grabbed the keys to her car from her home and took the SUV for a joy ride. Brince's son plays football with Alexander, who was visiting from Orlando. Brince's son claims he has no idea why his friend would want to steal his mom's car. "I don't even know, I wasn't even here," he said, puzzled. "The detective was asking me, 'Did I tell him to take the car?'"

The teen now faces three charges, including aggravated assault on an officer, grand theft auto and driving without a valid license. The officer involved in this shooting was not injured.

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