Officer shot responding to robbery

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Two northwestern Indiana men face armed robbery charges after police say they robbed a bank, went outside and shot an officer who had just arrived.

Hammond police spokesman Lt. Richard Hoyda said Saturday that the 34-year-old officer was in stable condition and expected to recover from the wounds he suffered in Friday morning's shooting outside a BMO Harris Bank branch. The officer suffered three gunshot wounds to one of his legs.

Police have not released the name of the officer, who's been on the force 13 months.

David Hardin and Brealon Miller were arrested following a brief high-speed car chase. Hardin and Miller, both 24 and from Gary, were charged with armed bank robbery Friday afternoon in federal court in Hammond.

U.S. Attorney David Capp said the two will remain in federal custody until a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller told the Times of Munster that prosecutors may also file charges in connection with the officer's shooting. He said authorities are investigating whether the defendants have any prior criminal history.

Miller said the two suspects entered the bank and instructed a teller to hand over money and the teller complied.

He told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville that the officer wounded in the shooting had just arrived at the bank and had not yet left his squad car when the suspects fired eight shots at him with a 9mm handgun taken from a security guard at the bank.

Miller said a civilian driving nearby saw the shooting and followed the two men in his car, providing police with directions.

He said Hammond police "we were able to box (the suspects) in" with help from Gary police. Officers recovered two firearms and money believed to have been taken from the bank. He said the suspects also took at least one customer's wallet at gunpoint before fleeing on foot. No one inside the bank was injured.