A Mexican teenager accused of stealing a car is recovering in a Rio Grande Valley hospital after being shot by a police officer at the Pharr International Bridge.
Investigators told Action 4 News that Pharr police officer shot a 16-year-old auto theft suspect on the American side of the bridge.
Pharr Police Sgt. Mirabelle Garza spoke to Action 4 News about the shooting.
Sgt. Garza said it all started when a police officer posted to the bridge saw a white pickup truck heading south into Mexico.
The officer allegedly saw the door had been tampered with in a way consistent with auto theft.
When the officer asked the driver to stop, the driver allegedly kept heading south and rammed the rear end of a car with three child passengers.
The driver of the pickup truck pushed the car forward about 30 yards but the police officer shot through the door and injured the teen driver in the arm.
Sgt. Garza said paramedics rushed the 16-year-old suspect to the hospital for treatment of a non life-threatening injury.
According to Sgt. Garza, the teen is a Mexican national and was not armed during the incident.
Pharr police contacted the pickup truck owner who told investigators that he had not realized his truck had even been stolen.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Wait Time website, the Pharr International Bridge remained open during the incident.
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