Suspect in Florida mass shooting was killed after a police chase, sheriff says

By Tina Burnside, CNN

A man shot and killed after a police pursuit was a suspect in a drive-by shooting that injured 11 people last month in Lakeland, Florida, the Polk County sheriff said.

Twenty-one-year-old Alex Greene was under surveillance by detectives in the Eagle Lake area of Polk County on Monday, Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference.

Greene was seen getting into a pickup and, when officers attempted a traffic stop, he fled, Judd said. During the chase, Lakeland Police Capt. Eric Harper used a PIT maneuver to stop Greene’s truck. The suspect fled the vehicle and ran into traffic while Harper followed on foot, Judd said.

Greene ran to a car sitting in a parking lot while the car’s driver was standing outside the vehicle talking with a friend. The car owner attempted to shut the doors, but Greene got in and drove it directly at Harper, Judd said.

Harper shot six rounds into the car, but Greene drove westbound on Havendale Boulevard in Winter Haven before crashing into a vacant building. Polk County sheriff’s deputies pulled Greene from the car and performed life-saving measures, Judd said. Greene was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The sheriff did not comment on the cause of Greene’s death, but said Monday’s shooting is under investigation.

In addition to his suspected involvement in the shooting in Lakeland, Greene also had an outstanding warrant in Polk County for burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and trespass/larceny related to utilities, Judd said.

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