South Bend police shoot driver trying to flee

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - The brother of a man shot by South Bend police officers over the weekend says he was hit seven times and is hospitalized in serious condition.

Police say officers shot 37-year-old Joseph Stambaugh when he tried to flee from a traffic stop and slammed into two squad cars. Police Chief Gary Horvath says officers were defending themselves Saturday when they fired at Stambaugh's car, which crashed into the sign for an elementary school near the city's downtown.

Jeremy Stambaugh tells WSBT-TV ( http://bit.ly/Jp8ont ) that he didn't think his brother should've been shot so many times for trying to flee. He says his brother was shot twice in the chest and in the shoulder.

Joseph Stambaugh was released from prison last year after serving habitual traffic offender and dealing marijuana sentences.

He is now facing preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle after a lifetime suspension of driving privileges, resisting law enforcement and possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of school property, all felonies, along with possession of marijuana and false informing, both misdemeanors.