Holly MatkinFort Smith, AR – A fleeing suspect hit a female Fort Smith police officer with his vehicle and dragged her down the road after officers tried to stop him at the scene of an unrelated hit-and-run crash (video below).
The incident began at approximately 1:30 a.m. on April 24, when Fort Smith police responded to a report of a serious hit-and-run crash in the area of 5000 Kelley Highway, the department said in a press release.
The collision involved a suspect in a light-colored, 2000s-model Cadillac and a rider on a motorcycle.
The injured motorcyclist was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injurie, according to police.
Officers were investigating the crash scene when a suspect in a black Volkswagen suddenly drove past their barricades at approximately 4 a.m., the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) said.
The driver proceeded to drive into the investigation scene.
Police were able to stop the suspect and spoke with him briefly.
“Officers immediately noticed signs of impairment,” according to the press release.
When the officers asked the suspect to shut off his vehicle, he hit the accelerator and began speeding away, hitting FSPD Officer Ashley Breedlove in the process and dragging her a short distance down the road, police said.
The incident was captured by an officer’s bodycam.
Officer Breedlove was transported to the hospital with injuries to her hand and hip.
Her uniform was also torn during the collision.
The suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Jason Egardo Mayorga, was located later in the day and arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.
He was being held at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center, according to police.
Investigators said they are still searching for the driver of the Cadillac involved in the initial hit-and-run.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content:
Sandy Malone
