Charges Pending in I-97 Crash that Injured Officer

Updated at 4:15 p.m.

Charges are pending against a driver whose van reportedly slammed into the back of an Anne Arundel County Police car Wednesday morning during heavy traffic.

The accident was reported just before 8:30 a.m. in the area of Interstate 97 South near Route 3/32.

Police say the officer, a three-year-veteran assigned to the Patrol Services Bureau, was heading to morning court in Annapolis and was stopped in traffic in a southbound lane when his vehicle was struck from behind by a Chevrolet van.

Investigators say the van was traveling at a high rate of speed and the driver failed to see the officer and his cruiser. The impact of the crash pushed the police car into the car in front of it.

The officer was taken to University Hospital Shock Trauma via helicopter for treatment of his injuries, and later released. There were no other injuries reported in the accident.

The investigation is ongoing, but charges are pending against the van driver, police say.