A man who was a suspect in the Lakeland, Florida drive-by shooting that injured 11 people on January 30 was shot dead after a car chase with police on February 6.
Alex Greene, 21, was under surveillance by cops at his home in Eagle Lake, Florida. They wanted to take him in on a burglary arrest warrant, and were hoping to use the opportunity to question him about the Lakeland shooting, which they believed he was involved in.
During the surveillance, Greene got into a white Chevrolet pickup truck and tried to evade police. They began a pursuit on a busy road. An officer identified as Captain Eric Harper pursued the suspect in his unmarked vehicle.
The chase went on for about 15 minutes until Captain Harper successfully did a pit maneuver, bringing Greene’s vehicle to a halt.
Greene jolted out of the car and started running, approached a restaurant and saw a woman standing next to her car with the engine running. He pushed her aside and jumped into her car and sped away.
Captain Harper pointed his gun at Greene and demanded that he stop, but Greene sped the car straight toward the officer, causing Harper to shoot at the car six times, and at least one of the bullets hit Greene.
Greene’s car did not stop, hit another car in a parking lot and crashed into a building. Police pulled him out of the vehicle and administered first aid. He was transported to a hospital, but he was declared dead.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Department said the suspected shooter had a long criminal record, with 10 previous felony charges, including an assault on a police officer, weapons possession, fleeing from police, and resisting arrest.
No other suspect has been arrested in connection with the Lakeland mass shooting.