Georgia cop shot in shoulder during robbery call — VIDEO

A suburban Atlanta police officer was shot in the shoulder late Friday afternoon after confronting a pair of robbery suspects, a law enforcement official said.

Two officers were chasing the suspects when the suspects crashed into a gas station in Tucker, a city of 27,500 people about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, DeKalb County Director of Public Safety Cedric Alexander said.

The officers got out of their car and one of them was shot, according to Alexander, who is also a CNN law enforcement analyst.

The officer, a 20-year veteran, was shot in the upper left shoulder and was taken by helicopter to Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. He was alert and conscious at the time, Alexander said.

The officers had been looking for the suspects' vehicle because police had information that it was used for gun running, Alexander said. When the officers found the vehicle and turned on their blue lights, the suspects tried to flee, the director said.

The suspects were taken into custody. It was not immediately clear whether either suffered injuries or DeKalb officers opened fire.