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Man shot by police after Everett bank robbery

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane January 6, 2011 09:31 PM

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By Matt Byrne, Globe Correspondent

EVERETT -- A man was hospitalized in stable condition tonight after he was shot by police this afternoon during a confrontation outside a bank that had been robbed, authorities said.

Police were called to the Century Bank on Route 16 in Everett shortly after 2 p.m. for a report of a robbery, according to a statement released by the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.

An officer responding to the call encountered a man fleeing the scene and confronted him as he entered a waiting vehicle parked at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant across the busy roadway, according to the statement.

As the suspect entered the getaway car, the driver allegedly accelerated toward the officer, who fired his service weapon, striking the driver, the statement said.

It was unclear how many shots the officer fired, or if the driver sustained more than one gunshot wound.

The car sped away and was eventually tracked to an apartment building in Saugus at 319 Central St., according to Leone’s office.

The injured man was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition tonight, Leone’s office said.

"The police-involved shooting will be investigated by the Middlesex DA’s office, for a justifiability determination, per protocol," Leone’s office said in the statement.

The suspect who fled the bank is still at large, Leone’s office said.

Federal, state, and local police continue to investigate the hold-up. The FBI Bank Robbery Task Force was on scene today, said Agent Gregory Comcowich of the FBI office in Boston.

Everett Police secured the crime scene at the Wendy’s, where shattered glass was strewn across the drive-through lane.

The hospitalized driver is being questioned by investigators, according to Leone’s office.

Ed Cheffro , 48, of Everett , was eating lunch at the Wendy’s when he said he heard two loud pops, he said.

Cheffro said about a dozen people in the restaurant – some of whom were children -- ducked for cover following the shots. Within minutes, a swarm of police cruisers and detective cars descended on the area, searching around an adjacent Stop & Shop, he said.

“I didn’t know it was a gun,” Cheffro said. “It sounded like firecrackers.”

Matt Byrne can be reached at mbyrne.globe@gmail.com.