An NYPD cop was dragged down a Bronx street by a car when a driver tried to flee a traffic stop, leaving the officer with a fractured ankle and writhing on the ground in pain, disturbing new video shows.
In the clip, released by the NYPD Tuesday, the female cop is seen standing at the open driver’s side door when the motorist suddenly accelerates, pulling her a short way down the road before she falls to the ground.
The car then partially runs over the cop, who is then heard yelping as she crawls to her feet, the footage shows.
Officers had first spotted the driver, 24-year-old Usman Haruna, inside a black 2017 Range Rover with expired temporary New Jersey plates around 6 p.m. Dec. 12, heading east on East 194th Street at Briggs Avenue in Fordham Manor, according to cops and police sources.
But as officers approached, Haruna refused to stop – driving recklessly through steady red lights “at an unsafe speed” and swerving in and out of traffic, police said.
Then, about half a mile away, at West 190th Street and Davidson Avenue, Haruna – who was driving on the sidewalk – backed up “recklessly toward the officers,” cops said.
Two officers then approached the SUV – a male cop got on the passenger’s side and a female cop opened the driver’s side door, partially entering the car, police said.
At that point, the video shows Haruna accelerating and dragging the unidentified female cop. He ran over her right leg up to her hip, according to police sources.
The clip also shows the officer limping back to the SUV and opening the driver’s side door once again after she pulls herself up.
Officers apprehended Haruna, who flailed his arms, preventing officers from cuffing him, police said.
Haruna, of the Lower East Side, was charged with assault, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operator, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, cops said.
He was also hit with a violation for allegedly operating an unregistered vehicle.
The female cop went to St. Barnabas Hospital, and the male – who suffered bruises on both knees – went to Jacobi Medical Center, cops and police sources said.
“When NYPD cops attempted to stop a car with an expired, temporary license plate in the Bronx, the driver sped off dragging an officer — fracturing her ankle,” the NYPD tweeted Tuesday. “The driver was arrested and the officer is recovering. Our message to criminals is clear: you will be apprehended!”