MASSACHUSETTS OFFICER STRUCK: MAN ARRESTED

A West Springfield man was arrested yesterday after he struck a Springfield police officer with his car following a drug deal, police said. Thomas D. Clark, 55, was arrested near the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside following a car chase in which officer Edward Kalish was struck by the car after he pulled Clark over to a stop.

Another man, Pablo Rivera Jr., 30, of 2974 Main St., Springfield, was charged with possession of heroin and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

A police narcotics unit was conducting an afternoon drug surveillance when officers saw a transaction involving Clark and Rivera near Rivera's home. When Kalish later pulled Clark over and went to have him get out of the vehicle he was struck by the car and thrown over the hood. Kalish was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was treated and released.