A driver with an expired New Jersey license plate took off when NYPD officers tried to stop him in the Bronx last week, dragging one cop almost half as she hung out the driver's side door and breaking her ankle, wild video and police reports show.
Police first tried to pull the driver over near East 195th Street and Briggs Avenue in the Bronx after noticing the expired plate around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The SUV stopped, then sped off when police approached the vehicle, authorities say.
The NYPD located the vehicle at Jerome Avenue and West 190th Street a short time later. Its headlights were off. Officers tried to stop it again at 190th Street and Davidson Avenue when it jumped onto a sidewalk and got blocked in. Police say the driver reversed and tried to flee the scene for what appeared to be the third time.
This time, one NYPD officer went to the passenger side and another went to the driver side. Surveillance footage shows the injured officer by the driver's open door.
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Suddenly the backlights turn red, the driver puts the vehicle in reverse and drags the officer, authorities say. She falls to the ground and the SUV drives forward over her leg, according to the police narrative. The driver then goes forward and barely makes it through the intersection before crashing into a parked vehicle.
The SUV briefly pauses, the officer seen rolling on the ground and trying to lift herself up as she turns back to look at it. The driver appears ready to speed off again, then starts to back up as the officer quickly gets herself out of the street.
The driver 24-year-old Usman Haruna, was taken into custody at the scene, the NYPD said. He was arraigned and faces charges including assault on a police officer, reckless endangerment and multiple other criminal and traffic offenses. He was held on $25,000 bail or bond.
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Attorney information for Haruna wasn't immediately available.
The NYPD officer with the fractured ankle was taken to a hospital for treatment and released. The officer who had initially approached the passenger side door was also treated for contusions to both knees and subsequently released.
