May 24--A Waterford police officer was critically injured Wednesday afternoon when her squad vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree while she was chasing a speeding motorcycle, police said.
The officer, a K9 handler whose name was not released, was trying to stop a westbound motorcycle on Elizabeth Lake Road just east of Scott Lake Road in Waterford, police said.
"The officer was attempting to follow and identify the motorcycle when a blue 1999 Volkswagen turned in front of the officer (and) the officer swerved in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a collision with the Volkswagen before leaving the roadway," Waterford police said in a news release. The police dog in the officer's SUV had a minor injury to a paw.
The driver of the Volkswagen, a 20-year-old Waterford man, was taken to a hospital as a precaution, according to the release.
"The (police car) was really tore up bad -- they had to cut part of the car away" to extricate the officer, said Bernard Johnson, 60, who lives on Elizabeth Lake Road near the scene.
The SUV K9 vehicle had its driver's side door and front "totally crushed in," Johnson said. Most Waterford officers drive Ford Crown Victoria police cars, but canine officers drive SUVs, a police spokesman said.
The officer's vehicle clipped the Volkswagen before veering into the large tree, he said. "The German shepherd (police dog) was hopping around on one foot," he said.
Johnson and his wife, Marcia Johnson, said they were praying for the officer.
Waterford Police Chief Daniel McCaw said investigators are seeking "the male driver of the black sport-style motorcycle ... wearing a white helmet with a gold or dark stripe and tan pants."
Anyone with information on the accident is asked to call Waterford Police at 248-618-7550.
Copyright 2012 - Detroit Free Press
