Man Ran Over Plymouth Twp. Cop Repeatedly, Injured 1 Other: DA

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — The man who ran over Plymouth Township police officer repeatedly on Friday and then injured a second officer has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Saturday.

Dalton Lee Janiczek, 21, of Lower Gwynedd, was taken into custody shortly after the incident on Friday afternoon.

It began at 11:56 a.m. on Skippack Pike in Whitpain Township, when an officer tried to pull over Janiczek's Mercedes G-Wagon, which was sharply swerving, the DA said.

Janiczek fled at a high rate of speed, crossing the concrete median on Skippack Pike to escape, according to police.

It is not clear why Janiczek was driving erratically.

Authorities tracked Janiczek to the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel in Plymouth Township at around 12:39 p.m., where they found him parked in the lot.

When the Plymouth Township patrol car turned on its emergency lights, Janiczek put the Mercedes into reverse and slammed into the police vehicle several times, according to authorities.

The officer then got out of the car and told Janiczek to stop, but Janiczek floored the gas and tried to run the officer over, police said. The officer fired a shot at Janiczek, who sped at him a second time and this time struck him and knocked him down, the DA said.

Then, as the injured officer laid on the ground trying to apply a tourniquet to a leg wound, Janiczek circled the Mercedes around struck him three more times as he laid on the ground, police said.

Janiczek fled the scene with more Plymouth officers in pursuit, eventually striking another patrol vehicle head-on, injuring a second officer, authorities said.

Police were able to take Janiczek into custody at the scene of that crash. Janiczek was treated for a head wound at nearby Abington Hospital and then booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

Both officers were also taken to the hospital. The first officer underwent successful emergency surgery, and the DA's office said that both are in stable condition.

In addition to attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, Janiczek was charged with aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and related counts.

Bail for Janiczek was denied a preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 4.