Lafayette Police officer taken to hospital after being hit, dragged by car downtown

A Lafayette Police officer was dragged for 100 feet by a car early Sunday morning after a driver tried to avoid a traffic stop downtown, police say.

The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officers tried at about 1:30 a.m. to stop a car that was driving recklessly in the 400 block of Jefferson Street, which is downtown between Garfield and Congress streets, spokesperson Sgt. Robin Green said in a release.

That portion of downtown is typically crowded on Friday and Saturday nights with portions being blocked off for restaurant and bar patrons. Saturday night was Art Walk and the area was filled with people.

The driver, later identified as a 24-year-old from Lake Chares, tried to avoid officers and sped away but hit a roadblock, Green said. The driver put the car in reverse and ran over a police officer, dragging him about 100 feet.

An officer shot at the car to stop it but no one was hit, Green said. The driver was eventually arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, reckless operation of a vehicle, resisting an officer with force and operating while intoxicated.

The officer who was hit has been with the department for about two years and often works overtime details, according to a GoFundMe created by the Police Association of Lafayette, the department's union. The GoFundMe exceed its $20,000 goal by Monday afternoon. To donate, visit this site

The investigation is ongoing.

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Police officer hit, dragged by car downtown; shots fired