Purse Snatcher.

On July 20th, an off-duty Cook's County, Illinois, sheriff's office employee was driving to work at around 6 a.m. when he witnessed the theft of a woman's purse. The 37-year-old lawman followed the suspect and was soon joined by a Chicago police squad car. When the suspect crashed into a parked car, the officers exited their vehicles to apprehend him, but before they could do so he backed into the squad car, then drove forward in an attempt to run down the corrections officer. The three-year veteran pulled his side arm and fired through the windshield, wounding the man.

Freddy Ramos, 28, was arrested and taken to a local hospital, where he was reported in fair condition. He was charged with robbery and aggravated battery to a police officer. According to prison records, in 1995 he had been sentenced to six years in prison for armed robbery, and on March 20th of this year had been paroled on a theft conviction.

The Chicago Sun-Times for July 21st quoted sheriff's office spokesman Bill Cunningham as saying that the shooting appeared to be justified. He asserted that the corrections officer, who was not named, had "put his life on the line in order to catch the suspect."