ELKHART — A police chase in Elkhart ended in gunfire, and sent a suspect to the hospital.

The shots rang out just before 10 a.m. Thursday, near 15th Street and Markle Avenue.

This started as a car chase. The suspect dumped the car he was driving at the intersection of 15th Street and Fieldhouse Avenue and then ran down 15th Street toward Markle Avenue.

Neighbors say that's when the tense moments started.

“He ran past me and the car was running, I had my baby in the car,” Brenda Hoopingarner told WSBT News.

Darci Marner and Brenda Hoopingarner were right in the middle of it all as the chase ended and the suspect tried to get away from police.

“I had my other grandbaby, 7 weeks old, in my arms and the guy went to go run back to come through the door,” explained Marner. “I slammed the door and locked it. So he ran over to the neighbors and they let him in over there.“

They say the officer struggled to get inside and used a taser to try and subdue the man.

“He wouldn’t stop and he ran in there and he wouldn’t let him in the door,” Marner said. “The cop kept trying to open the door. The cop just took his gun out and shot right through the door.”

Elkhart Police Chief Dale Phlibsen says the department will conduct an internal investigation to make sure procedures were properly followed with the chase and shooting. In the meantime, the incident itself is being investigated by the state police.

“It’s just to put it to another agency, so we’re not involved with it,” Phlibsen told WSBT News. “The state police can investigate it completely and turn the investigation over to our department and along with the prosecutor’s office.”

Marner and Hoopingarner are just glad no one else besides the suspect was hurt.

“I know we must have angels, too, looking out for us, because we’ve been through a lot of stuff and we’re still alive,” Marner said.

The women say they don't know the man, but have seen him in the neighborhood.

The names of the suspect and the officer have not been released. The officer has been placed on administrative leave until everything is sorted out.