COLUMBUS – A man who tried to run down an officer and ram two police vehicles is in jail after a Columbus police sergeant fired his weapon to stop the man, but did not injure him, according to Division of Police officials.
Officers patrolling in the area of The Commons at Victorian Village, on Tamarack Boulevard, at approximately 10:02 p.m. Saturday saw a suspicious vehicle believed to be involved in recent thefts in the area, division spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said.
Sergeant Frank Wasko, a 21-year veteran, and his partner approached the vehicle in the parking lot in their cruiser but, when the officer walked toward the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated toward him. Wasko drove the cruiser into the path of the vehicle and was hit, preventing the vehicle from hitting the officer, Weiner said.
When the vehicle backed up and drove towards the officer again, Wasko jumped out of his cruiser and shot at the vehicle, causing the driver of the vehicle to change his direction and drive away, hitting a plainclothes unit, which had pulled into the lot to help, said Weiner.
Three people were taken into custody.
The driver, James May, was treated for minor injuries at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital and released, suffering from minor injuries as a result of the crash, Weiner said.
May, 34, was charged with felonious assault on a police officer and taken to the Franklin County Jail.
The other two occupants vehicle were questioned and released and were not charged at this time, Weiner said.
No other injuries were reported.