Edmond motorcycle officer hurt in collision during pursuit

EDMOND − An Edmond police officer was in "critical but stable" condition after the pickup he was pursuing collided with his motorcycle just south of 33rd Street on Friday, officials say.

Sometime between 1 and 2 p.m., Edmond police received calls of a reckless driver whose pickup had collided with a guardrail and several vehicles before driving off. Police spotted the driver traveling southbound on S Boulevard Street and pursued the vehicle.

Soon after, "the suspect made a U-turn in the middle of the street and came back northbound, and that's when he hit our officer on the motorcycle," said Emily Ward, public information specialist for the Edmond Police Department.

The officer was thrown from his motorcycle during the collision into a ditch near Boulevard Street and Smiling Hill Boulevard, but Ward said the officer was "conscious and alert" once other officers and emergency personnel began tending to him.

More:Truck driver arrested in death of Edmond police officer in multi-vehicle crash

Ambulance services took the officer and the pickup driver to OU Medical Center. Ward said the officer suffered critical injuries but was in stable condition. The severity and extent of the other driver's injuries was not known.

Because the collision occurred within Oklahoma City jurisdiction, the Oklahoma City Police Department will be the lead agency investigating the incident, authorities said.

Friday’s incident marks the second motorcycle collision involving an Edmond police officer in recent months. Although he was not in a pursuit, 38-year-old C.J. Nelson died in July after being struck by a pickup just south of Edmond city limits.

This is a developing story. Updates reflect the most current information available.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond motorcycle officer injured during pursuit of reckless driver