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Lawrence Police Officer Hit By Car, Second Officer Fires Gun During Chase

LAWRENCE (CBS) – A Lawrence police officer was hit by a car and another fired his gun during a wild chase overnight.

Police were called to Springfield Street around 11:45 p.m. Monday for a report of a break-in at an apartment building. When they arrived, they saw a car starting to speed away. As it did, police say it pinned a Lawrence Police officer.

Another officer then shot at the car as it took off.

"I heard like pop, pop. Then 2 or 3 seconds in between, I heard like pop, pop, pop and then when I looked I just saw all kinds of blue lights coming down the street," resident Jose Vazquez told reporters.

The car crashed a short distance away on Crawford Street and one person was taken into custody. The Essex District Attorney's Office identified him as 32-year-old Elisamuel Fernandez Pagan of Lawrence and said they are "still reviewing the reports and charges."

Elisamuel Fernandez Pagan
Elisamuel Fernandez Pagan in court, Aug. 4, 2020. (WBZ-TV)

Police said they're still looking for "additional suspects."

The officer who was hit by the car has "serious non-life threatening injuries to his leg and foot," according to police. He was taken to a Boston hospital on a medical helicopter. Police said he was in surgery Tuesday afternoon.

"It was really bad seeing the officer on the floor asking for help and he was really bad, he was like screaming for help because he was in pain," a witness who did not want to be identified told WBZ-TV.

Neighbors hope the suspects are all caught and that the officer is okay.

"A cop is doing his job you know," a resident told WBZ. "It's sad you know it's just sad what's going on here."

The officers' names have not been made public. A Lawrence Police cruiser was later towed away from the scene.

No other information is available at this point in the investigation.

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