A crisis intervention officer in Jackson, Mississippi, was hit by a suspect’s vehicle Friday morning after responding to a mental health call in the parking lot of an area emergency room. Corporal Anthony Johnson is hospitalized in serious condition, according to police.
Johnson is one of the lead officers with the Jackson Police Department’s crisis intervention team that works closely with Hinds Behavioral Health.
Police received a call from Merit Health around 8:30 a.m. reporting a man parked in the emergency room area was refusing to leave, reported the Clarion Ledger.
When Johnson approached the vehicle, the suspect struck the officer while driving away.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said the car was moving fast and upon impact, the officer was thrown into the air and landed on the windshield. The suspect was later stopped and taken into custody.
A police department press release said the man was “apparently suffering from a mental episode.”
The injured officer is hospitalized in serious condition, according to police, at Merit Health Central.
