Atlanta police sergeant dragged, run over trying to arrest suspect

ATLANTA - An Atlanta Police sergeant is recovering Wednesday morning after being dragged and run over while trying to arrest a teenage car theft suspect.

Investigators said members of the Atlanta Police Department's Traffic Team spotted a Mitsubishi Montero with no lights on driving down Campbellton Road in southwest Atlanta. Officers ran the tag on the SUV and discovered it had been stolen, so they pulled it over at the light at Centra Villa.

The sergeant tried to pull the driver out of the vehicle, but police said that driver had no intention of being taken into custody. According to investigators, the driver hit the accelerator, dragging the sergeant as the SUV slammed into a squad car. The driver then put his vehicle in reserve.  

The Mitsubishi's door knocked the sergeant over, before his leg was run over.

Paramedics rushed the sergeant, who's been on the force for more than 10 years, to Grady, where he was listed in stable condition, but in a lot of pain. 

The driver took off down Campbellton Road with officers in pursuit.  In East Point, he ditched the SUV and fled on foot. Police ended up catching and arresting him. They identified the driver as a 16-year-old runaway, who was wanted on previous warrants.  

Neither the sergeant nor the teen suspect's names have been released. 

The sergeant serves as a supervisor on the Traffic Team.