New Hope Police Squad Car Hit by Drunken Driver

New Hope Police found a man driving on flat tires through the grass near Independence Manor Apartments around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. Police say the man rammed the squad car head-on. The driver in question has multiple felony convictions and wasn’t supposed to be behind the wheel.

Police say this could have turned out much worse.

“This is one of our canine officers and he did have the canine partner with him.  The officer moved to the side of the street when the suspect was obviously appearing to not stop and the suspect still hit him head on,” says Captain Scott Slawson.

Meanwhile, the driver of the vehicle wasn’t even supposed to be behind the wheel. He has multiple felony convictions.

“Suspect is a multi-time repeat DWI offender, says Slawson. “The man had no driver’s license at the time of the incident.”

Both the officer, canine and suspect were not hurt.

The 29-year-old suspect is expected to be charged with DWI, but could face more serious charges for ramming a police squad. His felony convictions include 3rd degree assault and terroristic threats.

New Hope