Abbotsford officer dragged by suspect’s vehicle before climbing in and jumping out of car

One man is in custody after a police officer was dragged for approximately one block while hanging on to a man who refused to turn off the engine during a traffic stop.

Sgt. Judy Bird said the incident took place around 8:20 a.m. in Abbotsford.

She said the officer noticed the man was acting suspiciously when he was stopped so he was asked to remove the keys from the ignition.

Bird said the suspect began moving forward with his car, so the officer grabbed him and held on as the car sped away.

“He was able to climb into the vehicle. And at that time, there was a short physical altercation and the officer was able to jump out of the car,” said Bird.

The routine stop turned into an eight-block police chase.

Bird said the officer is thankful he only suffered minor injuries.

“Well, he was concerned as to where he would end up. Was he going to end up under the car? Would he be hit by another car? So he was quick to think and thought that the best way he could deal with this is to pull himself into the vehicle. So yes, it was a very dynamic situation.”

Bird said the 33-year-old man was driving a red Nissan Sentra and was surrendered to officers in Yarrow about an hour after the incident.

“He was found to have an outstanding warrant for prohibited driving, but we are continuing our investigation to see if there is any other reason why he was acting this way,” said Bird.

The man is now facing numerous charges, including flight from police, dangerous driving, assault with a weapon, assault of a police officer, and driving while prohibited.

– With files from Kyle Benning