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Fremont Officer Recovers From Hit & Run Attack; Driver Hunted

FREMONT (BCN) - A Fremont police officer suffered a broken leg when he was struck by a man driving a stolen van on Monday morning, and police were continuing to look for the suspect Tuesday, a police sergeant said.

Alexander Diaz, 36, who lives in the Los Angeles area, is suspected of ramming Officer Patrick Brower, 43, a 10-year veteran of the police force.

Brower was recovering at a local hospital with a broken left leg, police said Tuesday.

Diaz, a parolee, was still at large Tuesday afternoon and should be considered extremely dangerous, police said. A no-bail warrant has been issued for his arrest for attempted murder, police Detective Bill Veteran said.

A rod was inserted into Brower's leg during surgery on Monday to stabilize the bones, Mazzone said.

Monday's incident began at about 10:35 a.m. when police received a report that a delivery van had been stolen from Lippert Avenue after the van's driver left the vehicle unattended to make a delivery.

At 10:48 a.m., Brower spotted the stolen vehicle leaving the Warm Springs Plaza Shopping Center and turning onto Warm Springs Boulevard.

Brower had stopped in the center divider, and the suspect, believed to be Diaz, accelerated and struck him with the van, police said.

Brower was pinned under the motorcycle and was dragged by the van across two traffic lanes before it struck a metal streetlight.

The driver got out of the van and ran into an industrial complex.

Diaz is described as a Hispanic man who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue or black baseball hat, a red sweatshirt and blue jeans.

At about 5:30 p.m. Monday, Fremont police detained a man on a BART train in Hayward in connection with the investigation. The man was questioned and later released, Veteran said Tuesday.

Veteran he could not specify what the connection was between that person and the attack on the officer since the investigation is ongoing.

He said it is not known whether Diaz is still in the Bay Area or fled the region.

"We're looking all over for him," he said.

Meanwhile, Brower is recovering at a the hospital after undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery to his leg and foot. The officer, who is married with three sons, is expected to be released from the hospital later this week, Veteran said.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Fremont police at (510) 790-6900.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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