ROSEBORO, N.C. (AP) — Police say a sheriff's deputy in central North Carolina was shot in a struggle with a car-theft suspect.

The Sampson County Sheriff's Office tells news outlets that the deputy was shot in the leg with her service weapon during the struggle and is expected to recover.

The sheriff's office said the deputy, Caitlin Emanuel, responded to a vehicle theft outside Roseboro around 2 a.m. Saturday.

She called for backup, and another deputy who responded saw that she had been shot in the leg.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said the suspect put Emanuel in a hold when she approached him after seeing the stolen vehicle.

Police arrested a 36-year-old Pennsylvania man within three hours of the shooting. The sheriff's office did not specify the charges against him.

Emanuel was flown to a hospital for surgery and described as being in stable condition. She has been with the sheriff's office for more than two years.