PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer sustained serious injuries after an apparent wrong-way driver crashed into his SUV Friday morning.
Around 6 a.m. on Jan. 1, crews responded to the scene near 27th Street and Cactus Road. According to officials, the driver of a white pick-up truck was headed in the wrong direction in the westbound lanes of Cactus Road when he struck the police vehicle.
Fire crews arrived on the scene and extricated the officer, officials said. Once he was pulled from the SUV, the officer was transported to a nearby hospital. Police said the officer involved in the crash sustained injuries, but they are not life-threatening.
The driver of the truck, 22-year-old Dylan Johnson, also sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported for medical treatment, authorities said.
After an investigation, officers said that impairment does appear to have been a factor in the crash.
The identity of the officer was not immediately released, but the officer has been with the department for over a year and is assigned to the Desert Horizon Precinct.
Johnson is facing charges including aggravated assault and DUI. The officer is still in the hospital and is recovering.
We will update the story as more information becomes available.
