A Cranston Police officer discharged his firearm during a Saturday afternoon incident on Cranston Street, while a motorist who police say attempted to elude the officer before driving his vehicle at him pleaded not guilty to charges during a court appearance Monday.

Neither the officer, identified only as an eight-year veteran of the department, nor the motorist, identified as 28-year-old Providence resident Anthony T. McKinney Jr., were injured during the incident, according to a statement from Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist.

The incident remains under investigation through multiple agencies, including Cranston Police, Providence Police, Rhode Island State Police and the state attorney general’s office.

On Tuesday, Winquist said the officer involved in the incident has been on scheduled time off but was slated to return to active duty on Wednesday.

He said because the incident resulted in no fatalities or injuries, the department’s policies and procedures give him the discretion to approve the officer’s return. He said based on what he views as the “fairly clear cut” circumstances of the incident and his conversations with the officer, he felt confident in providing that authorization.

Winquist said the department will assemble a three-member review team to review its use of force protocols based on the findings of State Police, which is the agency leading the investigation.

“That’s standard protocol for us” following an incident involving the discharge of an officer’s firearm, he said.

McKinney, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to charges of eluding police and failure to stop for an accident during his arraignment Monday in Sixth Division District Court. His bail was set at $2,000 bond with surety, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 2.

According to Winquist’s statement, the incident began at approximately 11:07 a.m. Saturday while the officer was completing a motor vehicle stop on Cranston Street.

At that time, the officer is said to have observed the operator of a passing vehicle not wearing a seatbelt. The officer pulled behind the vehicle as it traveled north toward Niantic Avenue and into Providence, and attempted to initiate a stop.

The chief’s statement indicates the vehicle initially appeared to pull over to the right before swerving back into the left lane “in an apparent attempt to flee.” While doing so, it sideswiped another vehicle. It then became caught up in heavy traffic and was unable to proceed.

“The officer exited his vehicle to approach the driver, at which time the suspect placed his vehicle in reverse, quickly passing the officer the wrong way down Cranston Street before striking the guardrail on the west side of the roadway,” the chief’s statement reads. “The officer approached the suspect’s vehicle on foot, which was now facing towards him, pointed his firearm at the suspect while shouting commands for the driver to stop. The driver then placed the car in drive and began traveling directly at the officer who fired one round at the driver. The bullet went through the windshield but did not strike the suspect.”

According to Winquist, a Rhode Island State Police trooper in the parking lot of the nearby 7-Eleven location heard the gunshot and responded to the scene. The trooper assisted the Cranston officer in taking custody of the driver, who police say was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The driver, identified as McKinney, was initially transported to Rhode Island Hospital after complaining of a heart-related issue, according to the chief.

The charges against McKinney were formally filed by Rhode Island State Police because the incident occurred in Providence, according to the chief’s statement.

Through his statement, Winquist said: “The officer involved in this incident is an eight-year veteran of the Cranston Police Department who is well trained. Based on a preliminary investigation, I support the officer’s actions. Fortunately, he was not injured, and he can go home to his family tonight. The suspect unnecessarily created an extremely dangerous situation that endangered the officer’s life and the general public.”

Police say McKinney has a prior criminal history, including a 2011 conviction on a charge of armed robbery. He was released from his sentence at the Adult Correctional Institution on Jan. 31 of this year.

At the time of his arrest on Saturday, McKinney was additionally wanted on an active arrest warrant issued from Providence Police on charges of domestic simple assault/battery and larceny less than $1,500. He entered a plea of not guilty to those charges during his arraignment Monday and was ordered held on $2,000 bond with surety.