Robbery suspects lead St. Pete police on wild chase

Three teenagers were arrested Thursday night after a St. Petersburg police officer shot one of them during a robbery.

It all happened during a wild chase through the streets of St. Petersburg. The situation unfolded outside the Scorpion Smoke Shop on U.S. 19 North near 11^th Avenue around 6 p.m.

When police arrived, two armed suspects ran out of the shop in a stolen car, police said. They took off, and after they hit another car, police say the suspects pointed a gun at the officers.

One of the officers opened fire, and the suspect's car crashed a few blocks away.

The car the teenagers were in was stolen from an employee at the smoke shop, police said.

"At that point in time, officers advanced on the Nissan Altima," Bill Proffitt of St. Pete police said. "There was another round of gunfire. At that point in time, two suspects were taken into custody. To back up a little … one man they saw wandering around the business. When they showed up, he was actually a lookout. They've gone back and picked him up, so he's in custody as well."

During the chase, the teens also ran into a marked cruiser.

Officer Marc Slagle, 36, was conducting a traffic stop when they drove the Altima into his vehicle. He was injured and taken to the hospital, but was expected to be released.

One of the three suspects was shot in the leg, police said. He is expected to be OK.

No one else was hurt.