Dec. 03--A Philadelphia police officer was struck and dragged by a hit-and-run vehicle late Friday night in Center City, and the driver was arrested in South Jersey, according to police.
According to a police report, the following occurred:
Two officers in a marked cruiser were working a traffic detail at a construction site near 10th and Sansom Streets about 11 p.m.
The officers saw the gray Ford Focus driven by a white female turn into the blocked-off area. The officers flashed their lights, signaling the driver to stop.
The officers approached the car on foot and asked the driver for her driver's license and registration.
The driver handed the information to the officers, who noticed the car had its headlights turned off. When police asked why, the driver began yelling at them.
The officers said they smelled alcohol coming from both the driver and a female passenger.
Police said the driver refused to step out of the car, and kept the door locked. The driver then turned the key in the ignition. The officers reached into the car, which began to move.
One of the officer's arms became entangled in the seat belt. The officer began yelling for the driver to stop, but the car kept moving. The officer was dragged by the car before falling to the ground.
The driver continued to accelerate toward a crane parked down the street, police said. The downed officer's partner gave chase and tried to open the car door.
But the driver placed the car in reverse hitting and pinning the officer who was previously dragged.
The driver then pulled away and fled south on 10th Street, according to police.
The officer was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She is listed as in stable condition, but will need stitchers on her right arm and leg.
The driver of the Ford Focus, a 26-year-old female whose name has not yet been released, was arrested on Nicholson Road in Audubon, Camden County.
She is expected to be taken back to Philadelphia and charged.
Copyright 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
