Police chase, shootout stops grocery store thieves

The attempted robbery of an Albert Heijn grocery store led police to fire gunshots in the apprehension of some suspects, and the shutdown of a long stretch of the A16 highway after a police chase involving another suspect. Rapid responding police units foiled the crime in ’s-Gravendeel, a small Zuid-Holland town outside of Dordrecht.

Officers raced to the scene, after a commotion woke people in the neighborhood around 3 a.m. on Monday. Residents wanting to know what was going on were told to immediately return indoors.

Suspects tried to flee the scene in two separate getaway cars. At least one of the vehicles smashed a squad car in the attempted escape. Officers say the occupants then aimed a firearm at police on the scene, prompting the cops to draw there own weapons.

Police then fired shots at the vehicle as it sped away, authorities said. By 7 a.m. officials had sealed off a section of the A16 highway between the Klaverpolder and Moerdijkbrug, and released police dogs. The dogs found and bit one suspect who was then arrested and taken to an area hospital, the AD reported.

The vehicle the arrested suspect used was not yet found Monday morning. The ensuing investigation caused a buildup on other area expressways as authorities searched for more suspects and the getaway cars.

Another person was seen walking along the train tracks between Rotterdam and Breda, causing a delay in rail service there. Police have not linked that person to the crime in ’s-Gravendeel.

Neighbors at the crime scene thought it was the latest in a rash of ATM robberies involving explosives, but the manager of the store told the AD that thieves smashed through multiple glass panels to steal packets of cigarettes.