By VINAYA SAKSENA

EAST PROVIDENCE — Police have released the names of the officer and two suspects involved in a Thursday incident in which the officer fired shots at the suspects’ getaway car after the driver allegedly tried to run him over.

According to Police Chief Hubert Paquette, Patrolman Ryan Vose fired twice at a car occupied by two men who had tried to steal another vehicle and refused to stop. The suspects, identified as 20-year-old Zachary Q. Hazard and 21-year-old Ro O. Flowers, were arraigned in Sixth District Court Friday afternoon.
Hazard, an East Providence resident, was charged with conspiracy to attempt larceny, injuring or tampering with a vehicle, attempted larceny under $500 and tampering with a motor vehicle, Paquette said. He pleaded no contest to all of the charges, and has been sentenced to one year’s suspended sentence and one year of probation for each offense.
Flowers, who police say was the driver, was charged with conspiracy to attempt larceny and enter/tamper with a motor vehicle, tampering with a vehicle, attempted larceny under $500, felony assault with a dangerous weapon, operating with a suspended license and reckless driving/eluding police. Bail was set at $25,00 with surety, and Flowers signed a waiver of extradition, according to Paquette.
The drama started Thursday afternoon in a parking lot in the Veterans Memorial Parkway area, overlooking Narragansett Bay and the East Bay Bike Path. Paquette said Vose had been monitoring the area in plainclothes in response to recent reports of vehicles being broken into.
Vose reportedly saw two men pull into a parking lot he had been keeping his eye on. The passenger allegedly got out of the vehicle, ran to another vehicle and smashed its side window.
Paquette said Vose approached the suspect in an effort to stop him. The man quickly ran back to the car he had arrived in, and the driver began driving toward Vose, police said. The officer fired two shots at the driver. No injuries were reported, Paquette said.
A short time later, Paquette said, police Lt. Bruce Kidman saw the suspects in their vehicle and informed other units. Police caught up with the pair near Exit 7 on Interstate Route 195, after their car got a flat tire. Both men were arrested without incident, Paquette said.
Vose has been placed on administrative leave as a result of the shooting, Paquette said. His department is working with State Police to investigate the incident, including Vose's use of a firearm. Paquette pointed out that administrative leave is routine after an officer uses a gun, and that it was not intended as punishment.
The charges against Flowers will be reviewed by the attorney general’s office to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to pursue a case against him. He is due back in District Court on Dec. 12 for a pre-arraignment disposition hearing, according to court records.
Flowers is reportedly a resident of Kansas.