A man drove away from police during a traffic stop in Queens, dragging and injuring one officer as he fled the scene, the NYPD said.
The officer and a sergeant had pulled the 20-something-year-old man over shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday after he drove his white Nissan Altima through a traffic light, according to police. A man and woman, both in their 20s, were passengers in the vehicle.
The two officers ordered the driver to put his vehicle in park and turn off the ignition because he was providing inconsistent information, police said.
That’s when the man reached for something in his vehicle and tried to drive away, according to police. One of the officers had his arm in the car — it was possibly tangled in a seatbelt — as the vehicle accelerated.
The car traveled 150 to 200 feet before the officer was able to free himself.
Police said the 35-year-old officer suffered scrapes and bruises to his arms and hands but is expected to be okay. He was treated and released from Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
The man’s Nissan was found abandoned at 177th Place and 145th Drive in Springfield Gardens, police said.
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Surveillance video from the area shows car moments before the officer was able to free himself, police said.
The NYPD is searching for the driver and passengers; no arrests had been made as of Saturday afternoon.