As we all know, the past perfect tense is used to indicate an action that takes place before another one.
I ran across this article on The New York Times website today, which begins with these sentences:
The gunshots blasted on and on, 45 in all, until Calvin Cross lay dead in a vacant lot. Mr. Cross, 19, had run away after three Chicago police officers pulled alongside him on a South Side street near his house.
My question is about the use of "had run away" in the second sentence,
Mr. Cross, 19, had run away after three Chicago police officers pulled alongside him on a South Side street near his house.
Others may argue that it should be,
Mr. Cross, 19, ran away after three Chicago police officers had pulled alongside him on a South Side street near his house.
I assume that the author wants to emphasize that the gunshots blasted (recounted in the first sentence ) after Calvin had run away from the policemen.
If that's the author's intention, do you think his second sentence is fine or awkward in structure?