WASHINGTON — A Montgomery County police officer was struck by a suspected drunk driver while directing traffic on the Capital Beltway Tuesday afternoon, and he responded by pounding on the car and pushing the driver down.
ABC7 reports the officer was directing traffic at about 3:15 p.m. on the Outer Loop, near Connecticut Avenue, after a four-car crash when he was brushed by a car that went behind him.
The officer wasn’t seriously hurt, ABC7 says, but he got angry.
He started banging on the roof of the car and yelling at the driver. The driver eventually got out of the car, and the officer threw him to the ground.
Other officers on the scene then intervened. The driver was 58-year-old Reginald Eugene Taylor of Baltimore, who was charged with driving under the influence and failing to slow down to avoid a collision, police say.
Police also say the officer’s response will be investigated.
The officer was taken to the hospital and has been released, AP reports.
ABC7 footage: The officer is hit, hits the hood of the car
ABC7 footage: The officer throws the driver to the road
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