Some question reaching into a running vehicle to prevent escape.
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
A Kennebunk, Maine man was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in Gray late Wednesday, moments before he ran over the officer with his car, police said.
Steven Hanson, 25, of Kennebunk was in police custody at Maine Medical Center in Portland after surgeons removed a bullet from his neck early Thursday. Hanson, whose injuries are not life-threatening, is likely to be charged with operating under the influence and aggravated assault, police said.
Hanson was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier when he was stopped on Route 26 around 11:50 p.m. Wednesday after Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy James Ambrose noticed one headlight was not working, police said.
During a conversation with Hanson, the officer determined the driver may have been intoxicated.
Ambrose was standing inside the open driver’s door during the conversation, thinking Hanson might try to escape, Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said Thursday.
Ambrose grabbed at the ignition key in an effort to stop the driver from speeding off, but was too late.
Because Ambrose had leaned into the vehicle and the door was still open, he was dragged down the street. He managed to fire his weapon, Dion said, before he lost his grip on the vehicle and was run over.
Police would not say how many shots were fired by Ambrose, who is recovering from a leg injury at Maine Med.
Deputy Jennifer Gage, who was called to the scene before the struggle occurred, stopped the automobile and held Hanson and three passengers at gunpoint until Maine State Police troopers arrived.
Dion praised Gage for stopping the suspect, calling it a “gutsy” move.
The passengers - 22, 17 and 16 years old - have not been charged. Dion would not release their names, but said they were all Biddeford residents.
Hanson has been arrested three times and charged with operating under the influence, police said. His license was suspended at the time of Wednesday’s incident.
Bill McClaran, who teaches criminal justice at Southern Maine Community College, said Thursday that the incident raises questions about whether it is prudent for an officer to reach into a running vehicle to try to stop a driver from getting away.
“Unfortunately, each year you read about officers being dragged down the street after trying to prevent someone from driving away,” McClaran said. “Unfortunately, a cop has to make some very quick decisions.”
The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating to determine whether Ambrose was justified in firing his weapon, a routine practice in shooting incidents.
Department policy states that the use of a firearm is justified only “in defense of the deputy/corrections officer or third person against death or serious physical injury” or “to prevent the escape of a suspect when the deputy/corrections officer has exhausted all other reasonable means of capture.”
The policy states that an officer must believe that the “person whose arrest is sought will inflict death or serious physical harm to the deputy/corrections officer or others if apprehension is delayed.”
Sheriff’s deputies are not allowed to fire warning shots, according to the policy.
Dion would not say whether he thought Ambrose was justified when he fired his weapon. He said he expects the Attorney General’s Office to complete its investigation in about 30 days.
Ambrose will be on administrative leave until the investigation is complete, Dion said.
Dion described the officer, who has been with the sheriff’s department for two years, as a reliable deputy and a “family man.”
Police transported the vehicle to the state crime lab in Augusta, where investigators will gather blood samples from the automobile’s interior. Investigators will use the sample to determine the amount of alcohol in Hanson’s blood at the time of the shooting.