EAST PROVIDENCE — An undercover police officer fired two shots at a larceny suspect who tried to run him over in a parking lot off Veterans Memorial Parkway yesterday afternoon, the police said.

The two men in the oncoming vehicle escaped injury and eluded the officer but they were arrested minutes later near Exit 7 on Route 195, near the Massachusetts line, according to East Providence Police Chief Hubert Paquette. Their vehicle had a flat tire, he said.

Paquette declined to name the officer involved and he did not identify either of the two suspects. The men face multiple charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, and their arraignment is scheduled for this morning in District Court, Providence, he said.

The department is investigating the incident and conducting a standard internal probe of the officer’s conduct, he said.

“The officer did an outstanding job,” Paquette said.

He said he could not identify the officer due to the nature of the pending investigation. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, he said.

The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. as the officer conducted surveillance of the lot, which overlooks the bike path and Narragansett Bay. He was on foot and in plain clothes, Paquette said.

He had been assigned to the area in response to a recent rash of car breaks and larcenies, Paquette said.

Initially, the officer saw two women stretching and preparing for exercise on the bike path, he said.

Then, he said, the officer saw a vehicle enter the lot and park — and saw one man get out of it, run to another vehicle and smash the window.

As the officer approached and displayed his badge, Paquette said, the man returned to the vehicle. Then, the driver aggressively drove toward the officer, he said.

The officer fired two shots at the operator, he said.

Where the two bullets ended up was unclear last night. No one, including the officer, was injured, Paquette said.

The vehicle sped away.

About 15 minutes later, police Lt. Bruce Kidman spotted the suspects and their vehicle and called for support, Paquette said.

A team of officers converged on the vehicle near exit 7 on Route 195 and made the arrest, he said.

Paquette was uncertain of the exact circumstances of the arrest.

It appears that a flat tire stopped the vehicle on the highway, the police said. The men were arrested without incident.

mreynold@projo.com