HARLINGEN — Two La Feria police officers fired between six and 12 shots at a pawnshop robbery suspect after he tried to hit one of the officers with his car, officials said.

Details of the Wednesday shooting were released Thursday by La Feria police Chief Don Garcia.

The exact number of shots fired was not known Thursday, Garcia said.

“The whole thing is still under investigation,” he said. “The Harlingen Police Department has collected some of the shell casings.”

Agustine Gonzales, 21, was taken Wednesday to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen with a gunshot wound to his chest near his left arm, Garcia said. He was discharged from the hospital Thursday afternoon, VBMC spokesman Michael Swartz said.

Officials at the Harlingen city jail confirmed that Gonzales was being held there Thursday evening, but the charges he faced were not immediately available.

Gonzales and 22-year-old Uzziel Arriaga are accused of stealing $3,000 worth of jewelry Wednesday from First Cash Pawn in La Feria and leading police on a chase into Harlingen on Expressway 83, Garcia said.

Harlingen police are investigating the shooting because it occurred within Harlingen city limits, Harlingen police spokesman David Osborne said.

Investigators confiscated the La Feria police officers’ guns used during the incident for evidentiary purposes, which is standard procedure, Osborne said. Arriaga was charged with evading arrest and Gonzales will likely be charged with aggravated assault on a police officer.

Police said the two suspects fled from the scene of the La Feria robbery in a white Pontiac Grand Prix. Two La Feria police officers, Romeo Lorea and Jaime Leos, attempted to block the Grand Prix with their police cars near the Stuart Place Road exit, then got out of their vehicles to order the driver out, Garcia said.

Gonzales “revved the engine” and began accelerating the car in an attempt to hit Leos, who was standing in front of the Grand Prix, the chief said.

The two officers then fired their weapons in an attempt to stop the vehicle and protect themselves, Garcia said. One shot hit a tire and another went through the passenger side mirror and struck Gonzales.

Gonzales drove farther down the road until the tire became completely flat, then fled the scene on foot, Garcia said. Gonzales was caught in a nearby field a short time later.

Arriaga was the passenger and got out of the car while it was stopped on the exit ramp, Garcia said. He jumped over the expressway wall and ran south along a canal.

Arriaga was caught in a cornfield a short time later.

Lorea, who has been a La Feria police officer for approximately one year, and Leos, who has been with the department for 11 months, are both on administrative leave with pay pending completion of the investigation, Garcia said.

“That is not any type of punishment,” Garcia said. “It is a standard procedure.”

The case will be forwarded to the Cameron County district attorney’s office as soon as the investigation is completed, Garcia said.

After Gonzales and Arriaga have faced charges from the Harlingen Police Department, La Feria police will have the opportunity to bring theft charges against them, Garcia said.

La Feria police have not recovered the jewelry removed from the pawnshop, the chief said.

Harlingen police charged Arriaga with evading arrest because he ran away from Harlingen police officers, Osborne said. Arriaga also had several local warrants that he will need to take care of, Osborne said.

A Harlingen municipal court judge arraigned Arriaga on Thursday, setting his bond at $3,000, Osborne said.

Osborne said Gonzales will likely be charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer because he attempted to hit the La Feria officer with the car within Harlingen city limits.