Suspects Arrested: Hercules Police Officer Injured

HERCULES, CA — Two people are under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and felony hit-and-run for allegedly backing into a police vehicle on purpose, then fleeing the scene, according to Hercules Police spokeswoman Connie Van Putten. The wild incident included a police chase at 75 mph down Refugio Valley Road, an intense search using a CHP helicopter and a police K9, and finally, an assist by a TV news crew.

The Hercules Police officer who was in the vehicle that was hit suffered minor whiplash injuries to his neck. The male suspect was also injured when he became combative in the police vehicle and banged his head against the screen and window. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. The second suspect arrested is a woman. The names of the injured officer and the two suspects are being withheld by Hercules Police.

It all started at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday when an officer was patrolling Refugio Valley Road and spotted a black Scion in a turnout. A man was getting into the vehicle as the police officer drove by. The Scion was stolen out of Las Vegas, Nevada on Mar. 20.

The officer turned around and followed the stolen vehicle as it headed westbound on Refugio Valley Road. The driver took off, running stoplights and reaching speeds of 75 mph. Where the road dead-ends into Sycamore Avenue, the stolen vehicle hit a curb and came to a stop. Another police vehicle pulled in behind and the officer was about to approach the driver when the Scion went into reverse, slammed the police vehicle and took off again.

Another chase ensued, but officers lost the vehicle. It was later found down an embankment in a swampy area. At that point, a CHP helicopter and a police K9 from a neighboring jurisdiction were brought in to search for the suspects but they were not found.

At 8:30 a.m., Van Putten received a call from ABC7 reporter Elissa Harrington. She told the police spokeswoman that she and her photographer had just witnessed a man and a woman climb over a fence from the property where the crash had occurred some 8 hours earlier. The pair were muddy and disheveled.

Police rushed to the scene and arrested the pair. Van Putten is grateful for the tip from Harrington, "We probably would not have apprehended them" without the assist from the ABC7 crew.

-Image via Hercules Police