A Colorado man struck an officer with his truck during a Tempe traffic stop and nearly hit another one as he drove away, according to court records.
Tempe police report that 26-year-old Martin Saldana was in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Tacoma in a parking lot near 3rd Street and Mill Avenue on Nov. 25 when two officers approached the car after smelling marijuana coming from the truck. Police said that there were three people in the truck at the time.
One of the officers told Saldana to turn the truck off but, instead, he put it in reverse and accelerated, hitting one officer and pinning him between the truck and the car behind him. Saldana then accelerated again, nearly striking the other officer as he left the scene, documents said.
Police said that Saldana turned around after realizing that he was going down a dead-end street, and soon after crashed the truck into three parked cars.
The three people inside the truck ran, but were caught by officers after a foot pursuit, police said.
The officer struck by the Tacoma sustained injuries to his back, elbows, and legs, but managed to detain one of the suspects.
After his arrest, Saldana reportedly told officers, "I just wanted to get away, my bad. I hope you guys got a good workout."
Police said they found a handgun and $2,000 in cash in the truck.
Saldana has been charged with aggravated assault, DUI and leaving the scene of an injury accident.
