Albany burglary suspects escapes, fires at officers

ALBANY — As of Tuesday afternoon, the Albany Police Department was still searching for a suspect who fired shots at officers responding to a burglary call on Willard Avenue Monday night.

According to reports, when officers arrived at the South Albany residence, one suspect was immediately taken into custody but a second fled, shooting at officers during his hasty escape.

“One arrest has been made in the burglary involving shots fired at Albany police officers,” APD spokeswoman Phyllis Banks said Tuesday. “Officers responded to a burglary call at 610 Willard Ave. at approximately 10:55 p.m. on March 12. After arriving on scene, the officers encountered the suspects. One male was taken into custody in the 1100 block of West Whitney, and a second suspect drove off in his car. While following the vehicle, shots were fired at police officers more than once. There were no injuries reported, and it is unknown at this time how many people were inside the vehicle.”

The ensuing investigation led detectives to a residence on West Whitney Avenue, where the get-away car and a shotgun were located.

“Detectives obtained a search warrant for 1118 W. Whitney Ave. this morning and retrieved evidence that included the shotgun used in this incident, ” Banks said. “Detectives also located the Honda Accord driven by the suspect at 610 Willard Ave. Shots were fired at several officers, and the suspect is facing approximately 15 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, criminal damage to property in the second degree and attempting to elude/flee from officers.”

The identity of the suspect in custody had not been release as of Tuesday afternoon, and a photo of the escaped suspect is being distributed across media outlets.

Officials are asking that anyone who knows the suspect’s identity to call the Albany Police Department at (229) 431-2100 or Crime Stoppers at (229) 436-TIPS (8477).