An El Centro Police officer attempting to apprehend a man on a bicycle was struck by a passing vehicle Tuesday night as was the fleeing subject.
The incident occurred at about 10:11 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Imperial Avenue in El Centro when Officer Daniel Crankshaw saw three males on bicycles in the arear of Imperial and Villa Avenues and followed them for a short distance. When Crankshaw attempted to question one of the cyclists , the suspect refused to stop and fled with the officer in pursuit. The officer grabbed the suspect and was able to wrestle him to the ground. As the two struggled in the street they were both struck by a passing vehicle. After being struck Officer Crankshaw was able to get onto the center median and out of traffic. The suspect left the scene , jumped a fence and was able to flee the area with the help of the other two cyclists. Video from the officers body cam shows one of the subjects giving their bicycle to the suspect. The driver of the vehicle involved remained on the scene. Other officers arrived on the scene and rendered first aid to Officer Crankshaw who was then flown to Desert Regional Medical Center by REACH Air Ambulance. The officer was treated for minor injuries and then released from the hospital.
The ECPD Criminal Investigation Unit is continuing their investigation and following up on information regarding the identity of the suspect. The California Highway Patrol , is assisting ECPD with the investigation of the accident.
An image of the suspect recovered from the officer's body cam has been released and is available on the ECPD and KXO Radio Facebook pages.