Police Officer Escapes Serious Injury as Car Sideswipes Police Vehicle While on Call

MOUNT PLEASANT -- A Mount Pleasant police officer escaped serious injury after he alertly jumped back into his police van as a passing vehicle sideswiped his van at a high rate of speed, destroying the van's door.

Mount Pleasant Police Officers responded a residence on the 5300 block of 16th St. on a report of an assault. Upon arrival, the officer operating squad 121, a transport van, parked facing east along the curb in the parking lane.

As the officer was exiting the driver’s door he noticed a vehicle rapidly approaching him from the rear and veering towards the driver’s side of the squad.

The officer then grabbed the steering wheel and quickly jumped back into the squad just prior to the other vehicle sideswiping the squad, striking the driver’s door. The suspect vehicle then continued east on 16th Street failing to stop after the collision. The officer was not injured during the incident.

The driver’s door of the squad was destroyed, causing the squad to be towed from the scene and taken out of service. The suspect vehicle is described as a dark sedan type vehicle. This incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Mt. Pleasant Police Department at884-0454 option #4 or Crime Stoppers at (262) 636-9330, via e-mail through the website www.racine.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending a text message to CRIMES (274637) and typing in TIP417 with your text message.