Suspect is shot after pulling gun on Toms River police, cops say

Update: The man shot by police had an air pistol, authorities say.

A police investigation in Toms River escalated early Friday when a suspect pulled a weapon on officers, and the officers opened fire, police said.

A statement released by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Friday morning identified the suspect as Timothy J. Sauers

Toms River Police spokesman Ralph Stocco said officers were investigating a suspicious car on Haines Road around midnight when a man got out of the vehicle and pulled out a gun.

Shots were fired at the suspect, who jumped over a cement bulkhead and into the Toms River, according to Stocco.  After a land and air search by the NJ State Police Aviation Unit, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, the man was located about an hour later and taken to a hospital for treatment.

No officers were injured, according to Stocco. The prosecutor's office said the man is expected to survive.

Police have not yet information on any charges, or on the extent of the man's injuries. It's not yet clear what prompted the shooting.

The incident comes on the same night snipers opened fire on police officers in Dallas, killing five officers and injuring six other people at a protest over two recent fatal police shootings of black men. Three people were in custody, but a fourth person remained exchanging gunfire with police early Friday morning until he was killed.

The prosecutor's office said the incident was not in any way related to the Dallas attacks.

An earlier version of this post stated the suspect was reported to have opened fire on police. A statement from Toms River police only says the suspect pulled a gun on police; it doesn't specify whether he fired.