POUGHKEEPSIE – A City of Poughkeepsie Police officer was injured Sunday night when his patrol vehicle was struck by a car trying to evade police. The accident occurred just before 10 p.m. near 651 Main Street. The police vehicle pulled into the parking lot of El Chapulin Ice Cream stand at Main and Church Streets and waited for assistance.
Poughkeepsie firefighters treated the officer at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to MidHudson Regional Hospital.
The 2007 red Lexus GS 350, with fake North Carolina license plates, fled the scene. The vehicle was discovered abandoned a short time later near the intersection of Cottage Street and Winnikee Avenue. A resident of Winnikee Avenue told Mid-Hudson News that she has seen the red Lexus with what were believed to be North Carolina license plates in the neighborhood several times recently. Officers were searching for the man and woman who abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
Several police agencies including the Town of Poughkeepsie Police, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, and MTA Police responded to the city to help search for the suspects. A Town of Poughkeepsie K9 unit made several tracking attempts near the abandoned car with negative results.
After running the vehicle identification number, it was determined that the vehicle was registered to a 27-year-old man from the hamlet of Shirley on Long Island.
As of 12:30 Monday morning, the suspects had not been located.
