SCITUATE, R.I. — Col. Ann C. Assumpico, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, on Saturday praised the actions of state troopers and Providence police officers involved in a chase Thursday that ended with troopers and officers shooting and killing the driver of a pickup truck and injuring his passenger.

Assumpico addressed reporters at a news conference at state police headquarters to discuss the arrest Friday of Donald W. Morgan. Thursday's chase and shooting happened during a manhunt for Morgan after the state police said he stole a cruiser while being transported handcuffed to court to face stolen motor vehicle charges. The police had gotten a tip that a handcuffed man was seen getting into a white pickup truck near where the stolen cruiser had been abandoned.

The police said that when they tried to stop a similar white pickup truck, the driver, Joseph J. Santos, 32, led the police on a chase up Route 10 into downtown Providence. As Santos tried to ram his way through cars blocking his path onto Route 95, officers opened fire, killing Santos and critically injuring his passenger, Christine Demers, 37.

Assumpico said at Saturday's news conference that she has been told that Demers is doing well.

Assumpico also said that the trooper who was transporting Morgan on Thursday followed protocol Thursday in handcuffing Morgan in front rather than behind his back, because Morgan had been injured in a car accident the night before. The trooper also had followed protocol by leaving Morgan alone in the cruiser with the keys in the ignition when the trooper stopped to investigate a car accident on Route 146. Leaving the keys in the cruiser was important in order to keep the cruiser's overhead lights operating at the accident scene, Assumpico said.

See video of the news conference: