PARKERSBURG — A suspected shoplifter led Parkersburg police on a brief foot chase after discharging a weapon near a south Parkersburg business before being apprehended nearby Tuesday.

Dustin Blake Franklin, 23, 367 Petroleum Road, Petroleum, was taken into custody and was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court on charges of wanton endangerment with a firearm and prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was in custody in lieu of a $75,000 surety bond.

On Tuesday around 11:20 a.m., police were dispatched the Tractor Supply store, 101 Terra Lane, in south Parkersburg, to an alleged armed robbery in progress, Parkersburg Police Chief Joseph Martin said in a press release.

“The witnesses from the store advised that the suspect had attempted to shoplift merchandise from the store and after being confronted, he struck two employees inside of the store,” Martin wrote. “The suspect then ran outside, brandished and eventually fired a handgun towards the direction of the store as he ran south.

“An outside witness advised officers that the suspect had fled the store and was hiding in an area south of Wal-Mart in high grass.”

Officers arrived on scene and set up a secure perimeter around the area in the direction the suspect had fled to, Martin said. Several officers from the Parkersburg Police Department, Wood County Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources started to search for the suspect in this area.

“During the search for the suspect, a gunshot was heard by the officers which resulted in the apprehension of the suspect,” Martin said. “No law enforcement officer was injured from the gunfire and no law enforcement officer fired any weapons during this situation.”

Franklin, 23, was taken into custody without further incident and taken to Parkersburg Police Department for booking procedures. During this process, it was discovered that Franklin was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm from a conviction of malicious assault, Martin said.

Franklin was arraigned before Magistrate Joe Kuhl.

Additional charges will be filed at a later time, Martin said.

“This was a dangerous situation for all that were involved and the cooperation between all of law enforcement in the community resulted in a quick apprehension of this suspect,” he said.