Man killed in police-involved shooting

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police were forced to fire at a man suspected of stealing at a South Florida store.

The man shot and killed as a result of the shooting is described as being in his 30s. Police have not identified the deceased pending the notification of his next of kin but said he was wanted as a robbery suspect.

Three officers opened fire on the suspect outside the Acqua 124 restaurant on South Federal Highway in Hallandale Beach, Thursday at around 6 p.m., after a police pursuit.

According to police, they received a 911 call from a Wal-mart after a man brandished a knife when he was caught shoplifting. Another caller claimed the man had a gun. The man then left in his silver Lexus sport utility vehicle and was followed by police. He refused to stop and pulled over inside the parking lot of the restaurant.

Police fired several shots after, witnesses said, the suspect pointed a gun at police. One witness happened to be comedian Pat Cooper, a frequent guest on the "Howard Stern" radio show. "He had the gun like that," Cooper said. "I saw the policeman saying, 'Get out! Get out!' and he gets the gun, so I thought that has got to be a joke, and they whacked him out."

Hallandale Beach Police Department spokesperson Sonia Quinones did not confirm how the suspect specifically threatened police but said, "Our officers are highly trained, and if they see a threat, feel a threat, they're gonna take action, so until we speak to them, we'll give a statement."

All of the officers involved each have more than 10 years experience on the force and two are supervisors and all are members of the SWAT team. Police continue to investigate. An autopsy is being conducted on the man's body.

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