SAN DIEGO — A San Diego police motorcycle officer was hit by a car and injured Thursday morning in Mira Mesa when a driver he was trying to pull over backed the vehicle into him, police said.
The officer was struck as he attempted to pull over a black Chrysler sedan around 10:10 a.m. on Westview Parkway and Black Mountain Road for a traffic violation, police Lt. Andra Brown said. A man was behind the wheel of the Chrysler and a female passenger was in the car.
"The vehicle initially yielded and then took off," Brown said.
Police said the driver tried to turn into a gated apartment complex before making a U-turn and stopping abruptly in front of the motor officer.
"The vehicle stopped right in the roadway, slammed on his brakes, put it in reverse, revved up and intentionally ran back into and struck our motor officer," Brown told reporters, including OnScene TV.
After knocking over the officer, the driver continued to push the downed rider and his bike in the roadway before driving off, she said.
"It was clearly an intentional act," Brown said, adding that the officer suffered minor injuries and was able to call in a description of the vehicle after it ran him down.
"The officer was well enough that he was the one who reported it," the lieutenant said.
Brown said the incident is considered a serious attempt on the officer's life, so homicide investigators are handling the investigation. She added that the man who drove the Chrysler was not the registered owner of the vehicle, but it was not reported stolen. The registered owner, who lives outside California, talked with police, the lieutenant said.
After hitting the officer, the driver took off north on Black Mountain Road. Officers searched the area, bringing in a police helicopter to assist, but were unable to locate the car or the driver.
Several people in the area, including a woman who was jogging, came to the officer's aid and provided witness statements to investigators.
Paramedics took the officer to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries. He was later released.
Thursday's incident was at least the second of its kind since late last year in San Diego County. On Dec. 14, El Cajon police Officer Nick Cirello was seriously injured when he was dragged by an SUV and then flung to the ground. The suspected driver of that SUV eluded capture for nearly a month before his arrest by Los Angeles police.
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