A 21-year-old Tucson man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and other crimes in connection with a traffic stop Monday night that included an officer getting dragged by a car, a police chase and a squad car bursting in flames.
No one was seriously injured.
The incident started just after 10:30 p.m. when an officer stopped the driver of a 2004 Chrysler 300 in the 400 block of East Delano Street, near North First Avenue and East Fort Lowell Road, Sgt. Maria Hawke said in a news release.
The driver, Ramon Rodriguez, refused to get out of the car and he and the officer started fighting. During the struggle, the driver sped off while the officer was pinned between the door and the body of the car. The officer fell after a short distance and was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, Hawke said.
Meanwhile, several officers swarmed the area and a chase of the Chrysler ensued.
The chase ended when Rodriguez crashed into a car at East Grant and North Country Club roads. Rodriguez ran from the wreck but was chased down quickly by officers.
Neither Rodriguez nor the driver of the car he hit was injured in the wreck, Hawke said.
Meanwhile, one of the police squad cars involved in the chase burst into flames nearby.
The squad car caught fire when its brake line overheated and ignited, Tucson Fire officials at the scene told police.
No one was injured in the blaze.
Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, and one count each of being a prohibited possessor of a firearm, unlawful flight from a law enforcement officer and criminal damage. He was being held at the Pima County jail.
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