PHOENIX – Officials from the Department of Public Security are investigating after officials say a police officer was intentionally hit by a vehicle and fired his weapon.
The incident occurred early Saturday morning on Interstate 17 north on the Cactus Road exit ramp.
The DPS says it all started when a soldier spotted a gray sedan on the I-17 traveling at more than 100 miles an hour.
The policeman tried to stop the sedan when exiting I-17 on Cactus Road.
The driver of the sedan passed a traffic light, lost control and spun, according to the DPS.
At that moment, the driver got out of the vehicle and ran.
The policeman started chasing the person when the driver of a second vehicle, a white Chevrolet Tahoe, hit the policeman with the vehicle.
According to DPS, the person fleeing the scene jumped to Tahoe.
“Fearing for his life,” the officer fired his gun at the Tahoe driver as he drove away on Cactus Road, DPS officials said.
The police officer was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries.
Police officers at the Phoenix Police Department later found Tahoe near 19th Avenue and Cactus Road.
The Tahoe driver, who was identified as an adult woman in her late teens, was arrested and transported to a hospital for serious injuries she sustained from police shots.
The DPS said the driver of the sedan was not found.
As the investigation continues, the exit ramp from I-17 and Cactus to the north, as well as the Cactus to the east of I-17, will remain closed.