Suspected Credit Card Thief Dodges Police Shot, Flees in High-Speed Chase, Gets Caught After Blown Tire Sparks Car Fire: Police

A man wanted for an alleged credit card theft at a Target store in New Jersey Friday led police on a vehicle chase through three towns before his car ultimately caught fire and he was taken into custody, police say. 

The suspect was wanted in the theft at a Target store on Central Avenue in Clark, New Jersey, and when police began pursuing him in the parking lot, he took off.

A witness in the parking lot said it appeared the suspect "purposely ran into the cop car that was coming in, knowing that he was blocked off, hit that cop car head-on."

"I couldn't believe what I was watching," said Shane Seepersad. "I thought I was watching a movie." 

Seepersad said he saw the officer in the car that was hit shoot once into the suspect's car, but the suspect continued on, leaving the Target parking lot and leading police on a high-speed chase through Clark, Roselle and into Elizabeth.

That's where the suspect blew a tire, sparking a car fire, police say. Police surrounded him and took him into custody. 

No one was hurt in the shooting or in the chase. 

"I'm always afraid they're going to hit an innocent bystander when they have car chases, so I'm very glad that didn't happen and they caught the person they were supposed to catch," said Diane DiMarco, of Elizabeth. 

-- Michael George contributed to this report 

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