PHOENIX — Phoenix police say a robbery suspect accused of shooting at a law enforcement helicopter was seriously hurt when he was shot by an officer near Interstate 17 and Cactus Road.
The incident started after 3 p.m. Thursday when officers received reports of a man armed with a rifle and explosive device inside a bank near 7th Street and Thunderbird Road.
The suspect reportedly got into a vehicle and took off from the scene, but a Phoenix Police Department helicopter tracked the vehicle along I-17 before it stopped at a strip mall off the freeway along Cactus Road.
At that time, police say a man inside the vehicle got out and started firing several rounds from a rifle at the helicopter.
A Phoenix police sergeant in an unmarked vehicle saw the suspect shooting at the helicopter and fired his weapon at the suspect, hitting him.
The police helicopter made an emergency landing to assess any damage. No gunfire struck the helicopter.
The suspect then drove to another location nearby where he was taken into custody and hospitalized with serious injuries.
The man, identified as 37-year-old Charles Rock, has since been released from the hospital and was booked into jail Saturday.
Rock faces six counts of armed robbery, five counts of kidnapping, eight counts of aggravated assault, one count of terrorism and two counts of possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person.
Due to Rock's previous felony convictions, the state requested a $1,000,000 cash-only bond.
Police say a search of the suspect’s vehicle located an improvised explosive device.
No other injuries were reported during the incident.
