Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – A Montgomery County Police officer was taken to the hospital after being struck by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop Wednesday night.
One officer stopped a driver around 10:35 p.m. just over the line into Prince George’s County on southbound New Hampshire Avenue, south of Piney Branch Road. Another officer pulled up and parked her car behind the first one so she could help the officer making the stop.
She got out and was standing near the other officer when a car traveling south on New Hampshire Avenue struck one of the police cruises, injuring the female officer. The driver left.
Cpt. Paul Starks said they originally thought the officer had a broken femur, but it turned out that she didn’t. She was released from the hospital around 4 Thursday morning.
The news that the officer was not seriously injured comes as a huge relief to the department as the two year anniversary of officer Noah Leotta’s death nears. The 24-year-old was struck and killed by a drunk driver while conducting a traffic stop as part of anti-drunk driving enforcement in December of 2015.
“We are very very fortunate last night. It could have been a lot worse,” Starks said.
Prince George’s County Police are looking for the driver in Wednesday night’s hit-and-run.
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