Sept. 09--A Burlington Police officer was hospitalized after a suspected drunken driver rammed his cruiser head-on early Thursday morning.
Authorities said Marc Anthony Dumas, 34, fled the scene of the crash and was arrested a short time later.
He is charged with first-offense drunken driving, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, driving without a license and no proof of insurance.
Other charges may be pending, depending on a review of the case by the Des Moines County Attorney's Office.
Police said officer Ryan Smith was on duty at 12:35 a.m. and was in a marked police cruiser southbound on South Central Avenue, approaching a stop sign at Maple Street.
At the same time, a 1996 Pontiac TranSport minivan driven by Dumas was westbound on Maple Street.
As Smith, 25, was preparing to stop, authorities said the minivan failed to obey the stop sign when it turned onto Central Avenue, crossed the double yellow lines and struck the cruiser head-on.
Dumas fled on foot, and other officers found and apprehended him a short time later.
Smith told investigators moments before the collision, he received a dispatch call in his radio.
He was preparing to acknowledge the radio transmission when the minivan rammed his cruiser, causing the airbag to deploy.
The airbag on the TranSport also deployed, authorities said.
During an interview with police, Dumas reportedly admitted to drinking two 40-ounce bottles of beer.
He allegedly told officers he knew he had struck a police car and got scared so he ran from the scene.
Authorities said a test at the jail indicated Dumas' blood-alcohol content registered at .193. The legal limit in Iowa is .08.
Smith was taken by ambulance to Great River Medical Center in West Burlington where he was treated for his injuries and released shortly thereafter.
Police officials are in the process of getting repair estimates for the cruiser.
