A Vicksburg police officer shot out a front tire of a Warren County Sheriff’s Department unmarked vehicle Saturday night.

Sgt. Virgil Woodall, a veteran of the police department, apparently thought the vehicle was being driven by a burglar.

Woodall fired two shots at the Ford Crown Victoria driven by Investigator Mike Traxler during a search of an area off Wisconsin Avenue. Only the tire was hit.

A break-in had been reported in the area, but Police Chief Tommy Moffett said it wasn’t clear why Woodall would have mistaken the county vehicle as a suspect vehicle. Although unmarked, the Ford is the same make and model as many city patrol cars, including unmarked cars.

“It appears that the officer fired in an attempt to stop the car,” Moffett said.

Traxler, an employee of the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, was not injured. Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Traxler responded along with several police officers to Cowboy Maloney’s Electric City, 1800 S. Frontage Road, around 11:40 p.m. after a report that two men broke out the glass front doors of the business.

Two satellite radios and speakers, all valued at about $350, were reported missing, according to police reports.

Witnesses reported seeing masked men leaving the store on foot. Police, along with Traxler, searched the area, but were unable to find anyone. No arrests were made.

Traxler was coming out of a driveway off Wisconsin Avenue when the shots were fired from Woodall’s 9mm pistol.

“Internal affairs is investigating, which is normal any time we have a shooting, and we expect to have the results in the next couple of days,” Moffett said.

He said any disciplinary action would come after the investigation is finished.