Officer shoots woman at Mesa Police Department Headquarters parking lot

A police officer shot a woman who reportedly rammed his patrol vehicle while in the Mesa Police Department Headquarters parking lot on Thursday night.

Officials say the woman had closely followed the un-uniformed Mesa officer as he was entering the north gate of the parking lot at 9 p.m. on July 7. She rammed the rear end of his fully marked patrol car with her vehicle, police alleged.

"The officer got out of his vehicle, and this is when the officer involved shooting occurred," police said in a statement.

The 39-year-old woman, Taneysha Carter, was hospitalized after she sustained one gunshot wound. She was in stable condition and then booked into jail on suspicion of felony charges.

A day after the incident, the department released more information, saying, "The officer was dispatched a call for service and while on his way, noticed the same vehicle following him for several miles. After the officer finished the dispatched call, he left the scene and the same vehicle continued to follow him again."

Police claimed that Carter rammed the police car twice - once when the officer arrived at the parking lot, and again as he tried to drive through the parking lot. The collision had enough force to push the police cruiser into the lot.

Once the officer got out of his car and fired his gun, Carter tried to run away.

"The suspect, 39-year-old Taneysha Carter, got out of the suspect vehicle and ran north/northeast through the secured parking lot in the general direction of the MPD Holding Facility, where unarmed detention officers process other arrestees. This is when a second officer involved shooting occurred, involving the same officer," the department said.

The officer was scraped up and bruised, but wasn't seriously hurt.

Carter is accused of aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a police officer and first-degree criminal trespass.

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