Rookie Officer Hurt And Cruiser Totaled, But He Makes Arrests

TYNGSBORO, MA — A rookie police officer was injured and his cruiser totaled when a Newton man he pulled over backed into it, police said. The man behind the wheel and one of his two passengers was arrested.

Tyngsboro Police Officer Daniel Campbell pulled over a speeding BMW on Pawtucket Boulevard shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday. The BMW stopped in a driveway, but as Campbell pulled up behind it, the BMW reversed into the cruiser.

Campbell was hurt from the impact of the crash, but confronted the suspects at gunpoint. Two of three people in the car were arrested when backup arrived.

Campbell was treated and released from the hospital. His 2018 Dodge Charger was totaled.

The driver was identified as Camilo Cruz, 27, of Newton. He was arrested and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (vehicle,) assault and battery on a police officer, malicious destruction of property, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

One of the passengers, Jose Reyes, 49, of Roxbury, was arrested on warrants out of Boston Municipal Court for larceny and Roxbury District Court for drug possession.

Cruz and Reyes will be arraigned Monday in Lowell District Court.

"The rigorous and effective academy training programs were on full display this morning, but at the end of the day, it was Officer Campbell himself, with less than a month as a full-time officer, who remained calm and used restraint in the face of an imminent threat," Tyngsboro PoliceChief Richard Howe said. "As a result, a dangerous incident was resolved without further escalation."

Courtesy photos