An officer in Montana suffered serious injuries after being hit by a car full of teenagers who drove directly at the officer in a deliberate attempted homicide, said authorities.
The incident occurred just after 1 a.m. in Billings on Saturday after police officers found a vehicle that had evaded them several times earlier in the night.
After stopping the car, officers were standing in front of the vehicle issuing orders to the occupants when the driver accelerated and drove the car toward the officers.
“The vehicle struck a [Billings Police Department] officer causing serious but non-life threatening injury,” said Lieutenant Brandon Wooley from the Billings Police Department in a news release. The officer was taken to a hospital and now needs surgery for his injuries.
The officer was not identified, but authorities said he is 35 years of age and has been on the police force for six years.
After hitting the officer, the vehicle fled the area and crashed nearby, according to the release. The six occupants were between the ages of 13 and 16.
Five of them were juvenile females, who were later apprehended after fleeing on foot. The driver, a 14-year-old boy, was apprehended and charged with attempted deliberate homicide, according to the news release.
Officials said an investigation into the matter is ongoing.
The identities of the teens were not disclosed in the news release.
Billings, which has a population of about 109,000, is the largest city in Montana.
