Police: Suspect Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting Likely Suspect In Sapulpa Crimes

Police received reports of several armed robberies Monday night. While they were investigating, police say the suspect pulled a gun on one of the officers.

Tuesday, July 17th 2012, 12:07 am



A Tulsa Police officer shot and killed an armed robbery suspect Monday night.

Police believe a one-hour crime spree ended in an alley with an officer killing an armed robbery suspect.

The shooting happened after three people reported that a Hispanic man with a gun tried to rob them.

Police spotted the person matching the description and an officer ran after the suspect.

"The suspect had a gun in his hand and the officer, when confronted with a gun, shot at least one time hitting the suspect in the lower abdomen," said Captain Karen Tipler, Tulsa Police Department.

The man who was shot was 32-year-old Manuel Sanchez. He was taken to St. John's hospital, where he died.

Sanchez was convicted of a felony and served time for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Tulsa Police say Sanchez first tried to rob a man at a Taco Mayo, but the man drove off. Then Sanchez confronted a woman at the car wash and ran off into the neighborhood, where he attempted a couple of carjackings. Within just a couple of minutes, he was confronted and shot by police.

But police believe the sequence started earlier in Sapulpa, where an armed man tried to carjack someone outside a convenience store.

Not long after, another carjacking was attempted near a QuikTrip.

Both victims in Sapulpa and the ones in Tulsa gave police the same description: a Hispanic man in a white shirt and black shorts, driving a black Nissan.

"Suspect description fits the same description we had, also, so that's leading us to believe these suspects are one and the same," said Officer Ashley Leland, of the Tulsa Police.

Tulsa Police report that Officer Warren Bigelow fired the two shots that hit Sanchez in the arm and abdomen.

Police said Bigelow has been on the force since 2005.

Bigelow is on routine administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

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