Missouri: Officer Hit By Truck and Drug 150 ft. Continues to Recover

A Springfield police officer who was hit by a truck and dragged 150 feet down the street continues to recover in the hospital. Officer Dave Laws was severely injured Saturday night while patrolling the area near Glenstone Ave. and Division St. The police department says an officer hasn't been this badly injured since Aaron Pearson was shot in the head a year ago.

"The officers are very familiar with the risks that are involved in this career. It's just kind of something that comes along with the territory," said Lisa Cox with the Springfield Police Department.

That also includes sometimes risking their own health and safety, like Officer Dave Laws did Saturday night.

"An officer was calling for help on the radio. We didn't know initially what had occurred," Lt. Mike Lucas with the Springfield Police Department told reporters soon after the incident.

According to the police report, Officer Laws tried to ask the driver of a suspicious truck at Casey's convenience store some questions, but the driver allegedly refused to cooperate. Laws then opened the truck's door to try and better communicate with the driver, with the driver responding by revving the truck's engine. The driver then backed up and knocked Laws down with the door. hit and dragged about 150 feet down division from here in the casey's parking lot...To near smith park.

"Somehow the vehicle took off and he got caught in the vehicle in the wheel well," Lucas said. "Thankfully his injuries aren't as significant as we thought they were."

Laws, whose most significant injuries include third degree burns on his leg, fired at least one shot into the truck's cab before the driver fled the scene.

"Fortunately it's not career-ending injuries. So from our understanding he's looking forward to getting back to work eventually," Cox said.

Authorities located the suspect Jeffrey Lyon Jr. several blocks away near Calhoun and Prospect. Lyon who already had several warrants for his arrest was charged with second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and leaving the scene of a crash.

"He now has much more serious offenses on his record now," Cox said.

Those who know Officer Laws say they're thankful he wasn't more seriously injured.

'We're very fortunate that this didn't end up worse than it did," Cox said.