A man drove a carjacked SUV through the investigation scene of an unrelated accident in Elizabeth and a police officer fired his gun multiple times in the chaos, prosecutors said Sunday.
Nelson Valentin, 30, is charged with causing widespread damage and injury, aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a police officer, Union County prosecutors said.
Police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians had responded to a car crash Saturday on North Avenue between Newark and Pennsylvania avenues, prosecutors said.
About three miles away, an SUV driver was robbed and carjacked at gunpoint, prosecutors said.
Valentin drove the carjacked SUV and tried to go around the accident scene by driving on the sidewalk, then backing up and hitting a marked police car, then jerking forward and narrowly missing first responders, prosecutors said.
An Elizabeth police officer fired his weapon several times, disabling the SUV, prosecutors said. No one was believed to be hit by the gunfire.
An officer in the car that was struck by the SUV was treated and released from the hospital, prosecutors said.
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It wasn't immediately clear whether Valentin had an attorney.
