East Bridgewater Officer Injured After Cruiser Hit By Accused Drunk Driver

EAST BRIDGEWATER (CBS) – An East Bridgewater police officer was seriously injured after an alleged drunk driver slammed into his cruiser as he sat at a red light.

Ryan Macaluso, a 24-year-old from Abington, was arrested and charged with second offense drunk driving, reckless operation, following too closely and failure to stop.

At about 1 a.m. on Saturday, an East Bridgewater officer was stopped at a red light in the northbound lane of Route 18.

Police say Macaluso's 2013 Volkswagen Golf slammed into the back of the cruiser.

The officer was taken to an area hospital with injuries that are described as serious but non-life threatening.

As officers spoke to Macaluso, they detected a strong odor of alcohol. Macaluso, seen in his booking photo with a cut to his forehead, suffered minor injuries but declined medical treatment.

Two passengers in his car were uninjured.

Macaluso was released on bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Brockton District Court.

"This man's reckless operation caused serious injuries to a police officer," Police Chief Scott Allen said. "By driving under the influence of alcohol, he put his life, the lives of his passengers and the lives of others on the road in danger."

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal reports