Police shot at by raiders in Birmingham chase
Two police officers have been praised for their bravery after chasing two armed raiders who opened fire on them in an alleyway in Birmingham.
The constables, a man and a woman, were on routine patrol when they came across the offenders trying to smash their way into a building society on Kings Heath High Street, on Thursday night.
Senior officers said the colleagues, who have not been named, were targeted by two shots from a range of around 10 yards at about 11.30pm.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Bacon, from West Midlands Police's Major Investigation Unit, said the constables came to the aid of two security guards who were making a delivery inside the Nationwide branch on the corner of Drayton Road and Alcester Road South.
He added: "The officers immediately stopped their car and immediately chased the two people. They ran along Drayton Road into an alleyway and, as the officers ran into the alleyway, two shots were fired by the escaping men towards the officers."
The offenders, two black men wearing dark clothing who had their faces covered, then escaped through a fence into either Kingsfield Road or Institute Road.
Mr Bacon said the area was quite busy at the time and the two men were likely to have been seen by many witnesses as they fled.
Witnesses are being sought, house-to-house inquiries are taking place in the area and CCTV footage has also been seized for examination.
Asked about the circumstances of the shooting, Mr Bacon added: "We know two shots were fired but we can't say how close the bullets came to the officers. Clearly we are talking about determined criminals who are prepared to carry firearms."
Commenting on the actions of the officers, Mr Bacon went on: "I think they have been extremely professional - they have reacted to something they couldn't have foreseen. "They have acted in the best traditions of the police service."
