Law enforcement officers chased down four suspects in a Fort Myers jewelry store robbery Thursday night, capturing the men after their getaway car nearly crashed into trees lining Interstate 75, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
One of the men was later shot by a Lee County sheriff's deputy but was expected to recover.
A trooper was chasing a 2009 Nissan driven by Lamar Alexander, 30, of Miami, at 9:30 p.m. Thursday when it ran over stop sticks set out by North Port police officers, the patrol said.
The devices caused the car to drift onto the east shoulder. The Nissan and the trooper's cruiser collided, causing about $3,500 damage to each vehicle, the patrol said. The Nissan then caught fire on the side of the road.Trooper Michael Grider, 39, of Fort Myers, was not injured.
The traffic stop happened about two miles north of Sumter Boulevard.
Alexander and his three passengers ran from the vehicle, North Port police said. Two of the men were captured, and two ran to a nearby home. When they fled the residence, one was shot and the other was arrested nearby.
The passengers' names were not immediately available.
Troopers said the men took part in a strong-arm robbery at Mayors Jewelers in the Bell Tower Shops, 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Suite 165, Fort Myers.
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