Huntsville late-night shooting and chase results in arrests with two wounded

HUNTSVILLE — The Huntsville Police Department have arrested two Memphis men after a late-night shooting Wednesday left a security guard injured and led to a multi-agency vehicle pursuit.

According to a HPD news release, officers responded to a shooting around 10 p.m. Wednesday in the 6500 block of University Drive. Upon arrival, they found a security guard with a gunshot wound.

Investigators determined that two suspects wearing ski masks attempted to break into a vehicle at a car dealership. When the security guard confronted them, the suspects fired, and the guard returned fire.

The security guard was transported to a local hospital and is listed in stable condition.

Shortly after the shooting, officers attempted to stop a dark Dodge Challenger believed to be connected to the incident. Investigators later confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen earlier Wednesday.

Huntsville police discontinued the pursuit on Alabama Highway 35 but Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers and the Scottsboro Police Department picked up the chase. The pursuit ended near the intersection of Highway 79 and West Willow Street when the Challenger crashed.

The passenger, Carlos Deshaun Clark, 19, of Memphis was taken into custody at the scene with a gunshot wound sustained during the earlier shooting. Clark was treated at a local hospital, released, and later interviewed by HPD’s Violent Crimes Unit before being booked into the Madison County Jail on the following charges:

• First-degree assault
• First-degree theft of property
• Discharging a firearm into an unoccupied building
• Unlawful breaking and entering into a vehicle

The driver fled before being found after an extensive search and taken into custody. He was identified as Jace Armstrong, 21, also of Memphis. Huntsville police said Armstrong is charged with:

• First-degree assault
• First-degree theft of property
• Discharging a firearm into an unoccupied building
• Unlawful breaking and entering into a vehicle
• Attempting to elude a police officer

HPD said it appreciates ALEA, Scottsboro PD, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Gurley Police Department and other assisting agencies for their support in the investigation.