GARDEN GROVE, Calif.–A Garden Grove police motorcycle officer suffered minor injuries today when a motorist he had stopped ran him over and fled the scene, setting off a countywide manhunt.
The officer had pulled over the motorist about 9:30 a.m. at 13321 Brookhurst St., near Trask Avenue, for not wearing a seatbelt, according to Garden Grove police Lt. Jeff Nightengale.
The suspect seemed “nervous,” so the officer requested backup and told the man to get out of his car, Nightengale said.
“The officer patted him down and after a minute or two the guy decides he’s not going along with the program, so he gets back into the car to leave,” Nightengale said. “The suspect gets into the driver’s seat of the car and as the officer’s trying to pull him out he puts the car in reverse and hits the officer with the car door, which knocks him down. Then he puts it in drive and drives over his leg or both legs.”
The officer was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center with minor injuries and was still undergoing tests, Nightengale said. But he was alert enough following the attack to radio in a description of the suspect and call for help, Nightengale added.
The suspect was identified as Marcos Gonzalez, 28, who was described as 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds.
“He has really short hair, if not shaved, and has a soft cast on one of his legs,” Nightengale said.
He was driving a green 2002, four-door Infiniti with tinted windows and no license plates, Nightengale said.
The officer is 35 years old and is a 10-year veteran of the department, Nightengale said.
