A San Diego police officer was rushed to the hospital after a suspect jumped into his patrol car and rammed the officer in Barrio Logan Tuesday night.
The officer, identified as Officer Jeffrey Swett, was interviewing witnesses to a burglary in an alley near Main and Una streets just after 10:30 p.m.
Suddenly Swett was struck by his own patrol car, officials said. A man at the scene had gotten into the vehicle and continued to accelerate the patrol vehicle with the officer still on the hood, according to SDPD spokesperson Lt. Mike Hastings.
Swett fell from the hood of the SUV and suffered what are being described as “serious, serious” injuries.
The Ford Explorer ended up on a wire connected to a power pole with part of the SUV suspended in the air.
“The police car is standing up on a cable wire. It’s just something from the movies. Unreal,” said Felipe Hernandez, who owns a business nearby.
The 25-year veteran officer is currently at the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest and expected to survive.
Homicide investigators say the man behind the wheel of the Explorer was 25-year-old William Frank Bogard.
He was shot once in the waist by a second officer at the scene. A canine officer helped get Bogard into custody. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Hastings said the suspect suffered a wound in the lower extremity that was non-life threatening.
The SDPD shut down the Interstate 5 off-ramp to Main Street as they investigated the incident.
As to how the suspect gained access to the patrol SUV, an official statement said Swett had gotten out of the patrol vehicle and “stayed near the vehicle as he assisted with the investigation.”