KEARNY — A suspected shoplifter was shot by police early Friday morning in the parking lot of a Walmart Supercenter.

Officials said the officer fired his weapon because he believed that the suspect, who was fleeing in a car, may have tried to run him over.

Ramon L. Martinez, 43, of Newark, survived the shooting and was charged with second-degree eluding, third-degree receiving stolen property, and shoplifting.

Another Newark man, Diego C. Dosreis, 28, was charged with third-degree receiving stolen property.

The shooting was the first of two reported police shootings in the northern part of the state this weekend.

Just after midnight Saturday, police in Elizabeth opened fire on a man who sped away from officers. One of the officers was struck by the car. The suspect in that case was later found arrested. Nobody was injured in the shooting.

In the Kearny case, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Martinez was shot "in an extremity." He was listed in stable condition at a local hospital Friday afternoon.

The officer who fired his weapon also was examined at a hospital and released.

Suarez on Friday did not say why the officer shot the suspect. But Mayor Al Santos told The Jersey Journal that the suspect was fleeing and the officer felt threatened.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.

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