KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — A Kalamazoo Public Safety officer had to be hospitalized with possible broken bones after he was assaulted by a fleeing drug dealer Wednesday on Kalamazoo’s east side.
Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team officers had been observing drug deals in the 2000 block of Sunnyside Drive and trailed two suspects who left the area in a car. The detectives were not in a police car, so they requested that uniformed officers do a traffic stop along East Main Street.
The suspects pulled onto Hinsdell Place, then jumped out of the moving car.
One officer was assaulted and injured, but still managed to take a shot with his Taser, which proved ineffective.
Other officers arrived soon after and took the passenger into custody for assaulting an officer, distributing crack cocaine, and felony resisting. Investigators say he tossed a bag with the drug before being captured.
The car stopped rolling when it hit a fence.
The driver, a 25-year-old Kalamazoo resident, got away, but has been identified. Investigators say warrants will be issued for his arrest.
– John McNeill
