OUI Suspect Arrested After Hitting Trooper With Car In Lawrence
LAWRENCE (CBS) - A suspect is under arrest following a police chase in Lawrence.
The 32-year-old man reportedly hit a State Police trooper after being stopped at a DUI checkpoint on Route 28 around 2:15a.m. Sunday morning.
Police say the suspect, Ottoniel Herrera, hit a trooper in the hand with his car while he was fleeing the scene. Troopers opened fire on the car, but Herrera was not hit.
Herrera was taken into custody after getting into a crash with a police cruiser at Sutton Street in North Andover.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports
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Herrera was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, before being brought to the State Police barracks where he was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assaulting a police officer, leaving the scene of a crash and multiple motor vehicle charges.
State Police spokesman David Procopio says Herrera's actions, "reveal an utter disregard for the law and for the safety of innocent citizens in cars and homes around him."
The car was initially pulled over at the checkpoint because a passenger in the car got out prior to the initial screening. He was questioned but not arrested.
The trooper who was hit in the hand was treated and released from the hospital.
Herrera will be arraigned Monday morning.
