Tesla Driver Drags PA Trooper During Philadelphia Traffic Stop: Police

PHILADELPHIA — Police are searching for a Tesla driver who dragged a Pennsylvania highway patrol trooper 200 feet and then kicked him off the car during a traffic stop in Philadelphia on Monday night.

Troopers pulled the vehicle over on East Cheltenham Avenue in Wissinoming for traffic violations, according to reports from FOX 29 and NBC 10. The officers "clearly saw" saw a gun on the floor of the Tesla and one reached in to get it.

The driver then put the car in reverse with the trooper still hanging on, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The trooper was "holding on for his life" while the driver drove backwards 100 feet, said Small. The driver then dragged the officer forward another 100 feet to the intersection of Cheltenham and Charles Street before kicking him off the car, Small told reporters.

The trooper went to the hospital to be treated for scrapes and bruises and has since been released, according to news partner CBS Philadelphia.

Police recovered the suspected vehicle Tuesday morning, reported FOX 29's Steve Keeley. The search for a driver continues, and officials towed the car to a police garage. The firearm that officers spotted was not in the Tesla, the report said.