A drunken driver was swerving and “playing bumper cars” before he dragged and injured a Blaine police officer while trying in vain to evade arrest, according to charges filed Tuesday.

Richard James Chacich, 58, of Spring Lake Park, was charged in Anoka County District Court with second- and fourth-degree assault, criminal vehicular operation, drunken driving and fleeing police in connection with the incident about 2:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Jefferson Street NE. and Northtown Drive.

Chacich remains jailed without bail ahead of court appearance on Wednesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Court records in Minnesota show Chacich has been convicted twice of drunken driving offenses and once for having an illicit drug in his vehicle.

The officer, Patrick Graves, was treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital and released, police said. Graves has been with the Blaine Police Department since 2023, said Deputy Chief Joe Gerhard.

According to the charges:

Police were sent to the intersection concerning a minor traffic collision involving a Corvette and an SUV. Chacich and the other driver had moved to a parking lot to trade insurance information.

Several people told police they saw the Corvette being driven “erratically in the time leading up to the crash, including one witness who reported that [Chacich] was ‘playing bumper cars’ and swerving all over the road,” the criminal complaint read.

While Chacich was out of his car, Officer Graves quickly detected the odor of alcohol coming from him. Chacich soon began walking back to his car despite police orders to stop.

Once in his vehicle, Chacich “floored it in reverse, almost striking the squad car and dragging Officer Graves.” Chacich spun the car around, sending Graves to the pavement.

Other officers soon saw the car nearby after it struck a retaining wall and flipped over. Chacich’s dog was thrown from the vehicle but was unharmed. An open beer can also was thrown out of the car.

The additional officers noted that Chacich showed signs of being drunk including slurred speech and difficulty following basic commands.

Other instances of drivers trying to flee during a traffic stop in the Twin Cities in recent years have led to deadly consequences.

In July 2023, 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II was fatally shot while driving away from State Patrol troopers who stopped him on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis for driving without his headlights on. After learning of a request from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office for Cobb’s arrest due him violating a court order for protection, one of the troopers reached for Cobb’s seatbelt. The car moved forward with the trooper leaning inside. Fellow trooper Ryan Londregan shot Cobb in response.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Londregan with with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter. County Attorney Mary Moriarty later dismissed the charges and explained that the evidence had changed.

In April 2021, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed while fleeing a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center. Police officer Kimberly Potter was sentenced to a two-year term after jurors convicted her of first- and second-degree manslaughter.

Police had stopped Wright for expired vehicle registration tags and a dangling air freshener. They attempted to arrest him after discovering an arrest warrant for carrying a gun without a permit. Wright broke free of an officer and slid back into the driver’s seat. After a brief struggle, Potter shot Wright. Potter claimed she meant to use her Taser on Wright, but accidentally fired her service weapon during the incident on 63rd Avenue.

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