Two cops were hit by their own squad car, and two other people were hurt, in a chain-reaction crash on a highway on Long Island Tuesday night, officials say.
Orvin Antonio Gabriel was driving a 2001 Toyota Corolla west on Route 347 in Hauppauge when his car struck the back of an unoccupied police cruiser around 8:40 p.m., Suffolk County police said.
The police car then hit two officers and the occupants of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata the officers had just pulled over.
The Hyundai's occupants, Samantha Koppen, 25, and Chad Jackowski, 37, sustained multiple internal injuries and were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in serious condition.
Police say Koppen and Jackowski were stopped for a vehicle and traffic infraction. Officers allegedly found drug paraphernalia and heroin in their car during the traffic stop, according to authorities.
Officers John Kurklen and Adam Tuthill were taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, where they were treated and released.
Gabriel, 24, was arrested and charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operation of vehicle when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle.
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It wasn’t immediately clear if Gabriel, Koppen or Jackowski had attorneys.
The cars were impounded for safety checks.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call detectives at 631-852-6555.
