Video from Mansfield police shows the moment two officers were injured early Friday morning when a suspect resisted a vehicle search and drove away.
The driver was eventually arrested after a chase and a standoff in a Dallas apartment complex.
“Especially because it’s so close to us, it kind of hits a little bit harder,” said Cecily Santana, Public Information Officer for the Mansfield Police Department.
Dash camera footage from Mansfield PD around 1:20 a.m. at McClendon Park West showed how it started: two officers could be seen trying to search a black sedan with two 18-year-olds inside after one officer reported smelling marijuana.
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“And the driver didn’t want to get out,” said Santana. “So then the officers went to get him out of the vehicle.”
After police asked the driver to step out for a search, the man could be seen trying to pull the door shut and resisting.
Then, he put the car in reverse, taking the two officers with it.
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“She, for lack of a better word, was dragged a short distance before the driver then put the vehicle in drive and then took off,” said Santana.
Mansfield PD said one officer suffered minor injuries, while the other needed more serious treatment from medics at the scene.
Police said the driver, Diego Battle, led officers on a pursuit to a housing complex near 6900 Cockrell Hill Road in Dallas, where he crashed his car through a fence and took shelter from police inside his grandmother’s apartment.
As officers with long guns waited at the ready, negotiators tried to talk Battle down.
Police said Battle eventually surrendered to officers.
“To us, that’s the best possible outcome,” said Santana. “To have no injuries, the most we have is property damage to the vehicle, the fence.”
Battle is now charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and evading arrest.
Police told NBC 5 the incident showed the dangers officers faced in the line of duty every day.
“We come in every day knowing that it’s a possibility, and it’s a higher possibility for us because of our profession,” said Santana. “It’s a reminder to have your partner’s back.”
