Police in Northwest Arkansas say a man drove off with an officer still in his vehicle as he tried to evade authorities at an apartment complex.
Troy Brandon, 53, of Fayetteville was arrested early Monday on multiple charges, including second-degree battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and obstructing governmental operations.
An officer patrolling West End Apartments, 1125 N. West End Ave., in Fayetteville around 2:55 a.m. Monday said he noticed a green Ford Taurus and a female passenger quickly trying to get out.
Officers approached the driver, later identified as Brandon, who was told to turn off his car, police said.
Brandon complied initially but later restarted the vehicle, prompting officers to give several orders for him to turn it back off, the report states.
An officer opened the driver's-side door to get Brandon, according to police. Another officer soon after reached in through a passenger door to grab the keys out of the ignition.
Brandon was reportedly able to put the vehicle in drive and pull forward while an officer was “partially inside."
“I remembered how close we were to parked vehicles nearby,” the officer recalled. “Fearing injury to my legs, I quickly used my left forearm to pin Mr. Brandon to his seat.”
Brandon tried to get out of the vehicle as the officer held him down and put the vehicle in park, police said. Authorities were eventually able to remove Brandon and arrest him.
The 53-year-old, who suffered minor injuries, was taken to the Washington County jail, where he remained as of Wednesday afternoon in lieu of $52,500 bond. He has a court appearance set for Jan. 10.
