Pennsylvania: Police officer dragged by suspect's moving vehicle
One Philly police officer found themselves dragged by a suspect's car while attempting to make an arrest for DUI, and wound up tossed from the car's side and skidding 20 feet on pavement.
The incident occurred at 1:58 a.m. when two 19th district officers tried to pull over a 2008 silver Infiniti traveling with no headlights on near 61st Street and Lancaster Avenue.
As the officers approached the car, one saw the driver duck aside, and then sit back up, not holding anything in his hands like paperwork, according to the police report.
As officers observed signs that the driver was under the influence, the driver attempted to flee, police said, striking the officer and leaving him hanging on the side of the vehicle in an attempt to not be run over.
"The officer observed that his eyes were glassy and blood shot. At that time the male then reached to the shifter. Officers told him to relax and shut the vehicle off. The male put the car in gear, turned the wheel to left and accelerated," the police reports state.
In the next few seconds the officer was struck by the car and grabbed inside the vehicle to not fall under the car and get run over, police said.
"The driver proceeded to drive at a high rate of speed on to Lancaster Avenue dragging the officer. The officer yelled to the male to stop. The driver kept driving with officer hanging on the side of the car," the police report states. "When the vehicle straightened out the Officer let go of the car which caused him to fall to the ground and skid about 20 feet on his right side."
According to police the officer was uninjured -- just "h is equipment, boots and firearm" sustained visible damage from skidding.
Afterwards th e driver fled in his vehicle, and was spotted half an hour later near Belmont and City avenues. Police tried to stop the car in the parking lot of a target on the 4000 block of Monument Road, but the driver fled. A short time later, police heard the car had crashed on Ridge Avenue and Kelly Drive.
The driver fled on foot from the crash into the tennis courts and was apprehended after a brief pursuit by two officers.
The driver is in police custody. His identity and formal charges against him have not yet been released by police.
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