Richmond Cop Seriously Hurt by Hit-Run Driver at Sideshow
RICHMOND (CBS SF) -- A Richmond police officer suffered serious injuries early Sunday when a driver taking part in an illegal Richmond sideshow slammed into him, propelling him onto the car's hood before the suspect fled, authorities said.
Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan said the eight-year veteran of the force suffered serious injuries with broken bones, cuts to his head and road rash. He reportedly was in serious, but stable condition.
The incident took place after officers arrived to break up the sideshow at Marina Bay Parkway just north of Regatta Boulevard around 1:20 a.m. Police had been alerted by 911 calls reporting the illegal activity.
"You could hear police sirens come on but it took them a long time," said Bruce Brown, a Marina Bay Parkway resident. "They (the sideshow drivers) were having fun out here."
Tan said arriving officers found 40-50 cars, many of them spinning doughnuts and screeching tires.
While officers were trying to stop a few cars for vehicle code violations, one of the cars sped toward an officer who was on foot.
"He was struck by one of the vehicles," Tan said. "He actually landed on the hood of the car and rolled up onto the windshield and then rolled off the car onto the roadway. And he was narrowly missed getting ran over by other cars passing."
The car sped off southbound on Marina Bay Parkway, leaving the injured officer in the middle of the road.
Tan said the suspect behind the wheel of the black or dark colored 4-door sedan now faces multiple felony counts. Investigators were studying surveillance and body-cam footage from the scene to see if they could gather further evidence against the driver.
"Things like these sideshows are completely uncalled for, they're illegal," Tan said. "We just need the public to help us out on this one."
The only information police have about the suspect is that the car was a black sedan. Anyone with any information is asked to call the department's Traffic Unit Sgt. Pomeroy at (510) 621-1578.
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