Man accused of shooting Kentucky officer arrested in Indiana

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) - A man accused of shooting a western Kentucky police officer and stealing his cruiser was arrested Sunday morning in southern Indiana, authorities said.

The suspect was jailed on charges that included assault on a police officer, robbery, theft of a vehicle and possession of a gun by a convicted felon, Owensboro Police said in a statement.

The officer was investigating a suspicious person at an Owensboro convenience store Saturday night who matched the description of a robbery suspect, police said. The suspect got into a physical altercation with the officer as he was being questioned and used a concealed handgun to fire at the officer before fleeing the scene in the cruiser, police said.

The officer was hit, but was able to call for help and was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

The stolen vehicle was recovered a short time later in Spencer County, Indiana, and several law enforcement agencies began searching for the suspect. He was later located in Spencer County and jailed there pending extradition, police said.