Gary officer shoots pedestrian during Glen Park traffic stop
By Matt Mikus mmikus@post-trib.com November 24, 2012 8:14PM
Maps
Updated: December 26, 2012 9:49AM
GARY — A routine traffic stop for a Gary officer escalated when a pedestrian started a fight, forcing the officer to open fire, police said Saturday.
The officer, Shanesha Emmons, made the traffic stop around 5:30 p.m. Saturday near 47th Avenue and Broadway when Elliot Smith, 40, of Gary, walked up, began yelling at Emmons and assaulted her, according to police.
“This guy was somebody who wasn’t part of the traffic stop,” police spokesman Lt. Del Stout said, “and he wasn’t in the vehicle. We don’t believe he had any relation to the people in the car. While she was being physically assaulted, the officer defended herself and shot the subject.”
Smith was shot in the right elbow then ran a few blocks north, removing his shirt in the process. Stout said Smith was located outside Leona Paradise Lounge, 5004 Broadway, and was transported to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus. He was in stable condition and will be released to Gary police custody, Stout said. Smith faces felony charges of battery on law enforcement.
Stout said police had been in contact with Smith in recent days.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department was asked to investigate the shooting. Gary Police Department will handle criminal charges, Stout said.
