LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A Lauderhill police officer shot a man who was on the run after he tried to rob a woman at a gas station Sunday, authorities said.
Lt. Mike Santiago, a spokesman for the Lauderhill Police Department, said the man was involved in a robbery about 9 a.m. at a Valero gas station in the 6000 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard in Sunrise.
An employee at the gas station told Local 10 News that the man tried to steal money from one of her customers, but she intervened, and the man fled the store empty-handed.
The employee, who only wanted to be identified by her first name, Misha, said the man initially asked the customer for money.
"She told him 'no,' and once she told him 'no' and I handed her her change, he tried to rob her," Misha said. "And then once he tried to rob her, I just rushed out to help her and we got into a fight."
Misha said her efforts paid off.
"She actually walked away with all her money," Misha said. "He walked away with some bruises."
The Sunrise Police Department then alerted neighboring police agencies to be on the lookout for the suspect in the robbery.
A Lauderhill police officer found the man about 10 a.m. in an alley behind a strip mall in the 5500 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard, Santiago said. The officer confronted the man and shot him, Santiago said.
However, Santiago did not provide details about how the shooting occurred or say whether the man was armed.
The man was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he listed in stable condition.
Santiago said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting and the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation.
While Misha is credited with foiling a robbery, she said she's no hero.
"I mean, it's the right thing to do," Misha said. "I mean, I have a grandmother. I have a mom. So that's all I did was think about them, and I hope if they were in that situation someone would step up and do the right thing, too."