PEABODY — A police officer was injured when he was struck by a car he pulled over Thursday night.
According to Police Chief Tom Griffin, the officer pulled over a car on Lowell Street to investigate a domestic assault and battery case. When the officer asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, the driver forgot to put the car in park, Griffin said.
Once the driver reentered the car, he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal and hit the officer.
“It wasn’t intentional on the part of the driver of the vehicle. It was just one of those unfortunate chains of events that resulted in some bumps and bruises to the officer,” Griffin said.
The injured officer was treated at the scene before being taken to a hospital for precautionary measures. Griffin said he has been released.
The driver of the vehicle, whose name was not released, was arrested on charges of domestic assault and battery. Griffin said Friday morning that the driver would be arraigned in Peabody District Court later that day.
Griffin advised the public to remain calm and follow instructions when interacting with police officers.
“People get a little nervous around police officers sometimes and I think that was one of the contributing factors,” he said. “It’s natural for people to get nervous because you don’t know what’s going on, but just try to relax and follow the instructions. Everything should work out fine.”
