POLICE confirm they have a suspect in custody in connection with the Friday afternoon shooting by police of a fleeing driver who hit an officer with his car before speeding off from busy downtown Bay Street.

Onlookers described the scene as “pandemonium” and described how shoppers fled in confusion after hearing gunfire. An amateur video of the incident has also been circulating on the web.

The incident took place on Woodes Rogers Walk and Frederick Street shortly after 11am when a police officer attempted to stop the driver of a grey Self Drive Honda who was wanted on a fraud matter, according to police reports.

The driver knocked the officer off his bicycle and sped off, police say. A second officer tried to stop the car but the driver attempted to hit him as well. He was eventually shot by police.

The driver continued his attempt to flee, resulting in a police pursuit onto Market and Cockburn Streets, where the driver abandoned the car and was subsequently arrested.

One man told The Tribune he was “stunned” by what he witnessed, a clothing store employee described how tourists were “hiding in the changing rooms” on hearing gunshots, while an employee of a nearby jewellery store said she heard a gunshot and “saw people running through traffic.”

A video uploaded to Youtube by a witness shows the incident. An officer is seen trying to stop a grey car and repeatedly firing shots at the car’s tyres before the car speeds off, while shocked yells from bystanders are heard in the background.

Police say both the driver and an officer were treated at hospital. A 43-year-old man is in policy custody in connection with the incident.

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