Officer Shoots at DUI Suspect Who Hits Him With Car

Gaithersburg, MD — For the second time in a week, a Montgomery County Police officer has been struck by a car that may have had a drunk driver at the wheel.

The officer, who has not yet been identified, was taken to a local hospital early Wednesday morning with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities say he is expected to recover.

Meanwhile, Officer Noah Leotta, 24, remains in critical condition Wednesday after he was hit Thursday night on Rockville Pike in the Edmonston Drive area of Rockville. He was on foot outside his patrol car during a traffic stop when he was hit by a suspected drunk driver’s vehicle.

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In the second incident, the officer was trying to stop a vehicle for suspicion of driving impaired about 1 a.m. in the area of Montgomery Village Avenue and Midcounty Highway in Gaithersburg.

The driver didn’t stop, police say, and instead drove to Grantchester Place and parked in his driveway. When officers approached the vehicle on foot and ordered the driver to get out, he reportedly put the car in reverse and drove toward the officers, hitting one officer.

During the confrontation, the officer who was struck by the vehicle shot at the driver, who was not injured.

The suspect drove through the backyards of several homes; he stopped when his car struck a pole at Girard Street and Victory Farm Drive.

He was arrested after a brief foot chase and taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries suffered in the crash.

While the incident is still under investigation, police say the driver faces criminal charges that will likely include impaired driving offenses and first-degree assault.