Officer hurt, man arrested after crashing into school building in Mesa

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - A man has been arrested and an officer is hospitalized after a car crashed into a school building in Mesa Sunday afternoon.

Two Mesa police officers were flagged down by a witness when the vehicle crashed into a building near Horne and 9th Avenue near Holmes Elementary School. Details are limited but when the officers tried to speak to the driver and the passenger involved in the crash, a fight broke out.

The driver got on top of one of the officers while the other tried to pull the suspect off and hold him down until more help arrived. The second officer was taken to a nearby hospital for a CAT scan. Investigators say the officer lost consciousness during the attack. Investigators have not indicated if impairment was a factor.

This is the fourth officer injured by a suspect in the past two days. These recent attacks have the Arizona Police Association concerned. “I think we’ve seen a rise in attacks on police officers over the last couple of years,” said Joe Clure, Arizona Police Association Executive Director. “What officers need to keep in mind is that it’s a dangerous job and it’s gotten a lot more dangerous over the last few years.”

Clure said he hears cases like what happened in Mesa more often than he would like. “It’s not OK to fight or assault police officers. You may get away temporarily but eventually you are going to get caught and with the consequences and all you’ve done is it’s just created more trouble for yourself,” he said.

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