A grand jury recently indicted a Paterson New Jersey man accused of eluding police and then dragging an officer with his car during the chase.
The dangerous incident went down during the early morning hours on September 12, 2015. A Paterson patrol cop reportedly saw the suspect committing a traffic violation near Jefferson Street and North 3rd Street in Paterson NJ.
When the police officer attempted to speak with the suspect about an earlier triple-shooting that had occurred in the area, the suspect reportedly fled the area and actually dragged the Paterson cop on the roadway. Moreover, after the officer fell to the pavement, the suspect allegedly attempted to hit her with his motor vehicle.
As a result of alleged assault, the police officer sustained several injuries, including injuries to her leg, arm, hand and hip.
The suspect was arrested and charged with numerous crimes, including eluding police, aggravated assault, aggravated assault while eluding, aggravated assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest.
The 20-year-old suspect, who lives in Paterson NJ, was recently indicted by a Passaic County grand jury on all of the criminal charges.
If the suspect is convicted on the eluding charges, he faces severe criminal penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b), anyone who operates a motor vehicle and knowingly flees or attempts to elude police can be charged with a second degree felony when the flight creates a risk of death or injury to any person. A conviction for second degree eluding could lead to a sentence of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.
While the charges are pending, the suspect is being held at the Passaic County Jail in lieu of a $125K cash-only bail.
To learn more about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Man Indicted for Allegedly Dragging Cop with Car While Eluding.”
