Suspected Cocaine Dealer Trying To Flee Runs Over Cop's Feet: Police

TOWN OF WALLKILL, NY — A police officer was injured when a suspect tried to speed away during a traffic stop, according to law enforcement officials in Orange County.

The City of Middletown Police Department says that on Thursday morning, around 11:34 a.m., two Middletown police officers stopped a car on Carpenter Avenue in the Town of Wallkill.

The vehicle and the driver, Alejandro Garcia, were the targets of a search warrant signed from Middletown City Court. Garcia was also facing a felony charge of third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance after a City of Middletown Narcotics Unit investigation into the sale and possession of illegal narcotics.

As the two officers began interviewing Garcia, he suddenly drove away from the stop, driving over both feet of one of the officers, who was standing next to the vehicle.

The two officers then returned to their patrol vehicle and attempted to catch up to Garcia's vehicle, while alerting Middletown Police Dispatch and other units in the field.

When the two officers caught up with Garcia, he ignored the marked patrol vehicle's lights and sirens, and continued traveling on Carpenter Avenue, across NYS Route 211, and onto Silverlake-Scotchtown Road, police said.

Patrol units from the City of Middletown, the Town of Wallkill, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, and New York State Police also responded in trying to apprehend Garcia.

On Silverlake-Scotchtown Road, Garcia threw an object out of the window of his vehicle. The item was recovered by a Middletown Police Department sergeant and was found to be a plastic bag containing "presumed cocaine."

Police described what happened next:

Garcia drove through several neighborhoods in the Town of Wallkill and onto Goshen Turnpike. He then traveled west to NYS Route 302, where he headed south towards NYS Route 17, which he entered at exit 119, headed west, where he then made an illegal U-turn and began traveling east on NYS Route 17. Garcia then exited NYS Route 17 at exit 120 for State Route 211, heading west. He then tried to cross the concrete median on NYS Route 211 near Lloyds Lane in the Town of Wallkill.

Garcia then stopped his vehicle at the intersection of Route 211 and Lloyds Lane, where a City of Middletown Police Department vehicle made contact with the back of Garcia's vehicle.

Police then ordered Garcia out of the vehicle, but he did not comply, and officers then forcibly removed him and took him into custody, according to police.

He was then taken to the City of Middletown Police Department where he is awaiting additional charges associated with the narcotics and the vehicle pursuit.

Police noted that some bystanders reported hearing shots fired at the end of the pursuit, when Garcia was taken into custody. However, police say no firearms were used by police officers or Garcia, and no physical force was necessary other than placing Garcia into handcuffs after he was physically removed from his vehicle. Police explained that the sounds heard were most likely due to police officers breaking the front window of Garcia's vehicle to gain access.

Garcia was uninjured during the incident and arrest, authorities said.

The officer who had his feet run over by Garcia's vehicle sustained minor injuries. He was treated and released from Garnet Health Medical Center, and is expected to return to full duty.

There were no other reported injuries or reports of property damage.

The City of Middletown thanked their law enforcement partners in the Town of Wallkill Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police for their assistance with managing the vehicle pursuit and the traffic control around the arrest scene.