By Samantha Perry and Tom Bone
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, W.Va.— A possible DUI led early Tuesday morning to a pursuit which ended in a fatal crash involving a Bluefield City Police Department officer.
The accident involved two Bluefield Police Department units and a West Virginia State Police cruiser, said First Sgt. R.A. Maddy, district commander of the West Virginia State Police Princeton and Welch detachments.
A Bluefield police officer was killed in the crash, officials said.
During a press conference held Tuesday morning at the Bluefield Municipal Building, City Manager Dane Rideout spoke about the tragedy. The names of the officer who was killed and three who were injured, but later treated and released, were not revealed pending notification of their families.
“We are devastated to learn of the death of one our our police officers,” Rideout said. “His tragic passing in the line of duty highlights the grave dangers our men and women in blue face each day they put on their uniforms and keep us safe. On behalf of the city of Bluefield we send our prayers and sympathies to his family as we continue to pray for the speedy recovery of the other officers involved. Our hearts go out to the entire Bluefield Police Department as they mourn the loss of a beloved husband, father, son and fellow officer.”
Chief Dennis Dillow said the West Virginia State Police was conducting the investigation. Business will continue at the police department, but he asked the public to remember the loss.
The accident shut down traffic in both directions on Princeton Avenue in Bluefield for a time shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning. Dillow said just after 10 a.m. that the street could reopen within the hour.
Dillow said at the press conference that he would not be taking any questions.
“Last night shortly after midnight four Bluefield police officers and one state police officer was involved in a vehicle pursuit. That pursuit took place on Bluefield and Princeton Avenue,” Dillow said. “It ended up at the intersection of Princeton Avenue and Lee Street. Unfortunately, that scene ended up in an accident at which time we lost a member of our Bluefield Police Department.”
“I would like to remind everyone that these men that were out there last night doing what they do every night, they have families, they have friends so please keep that in mind as you meet their families and find out who they are,” Dillow stated. “At this time, due to respect for their families, because some have not been completely notified, I will not be releasing any names.”
Dillow stated later that the pursuit started as a possible DUI, and that one arrest had been made. The state police is conducting the investigation, and additional details were not being released at that time.
The incident left the front of the cruiser mangled and the driver’s side of the vehicle resting against a bent guardrail beside the thoroughfare. Debris stretched across both lanes of the roadway.
According to a report on a police scanner frequency at approximately 12:22 a.m., an officer was reported “down” on Princeton Avenue near Giles Street. A voice believed to be that of the officer reported, “I’m injured.”
The identity of the injured person was not available from authorities in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A person with his head bandaged was seen standing near the cruiser briefly, accompanied by a law enforcement officer.
The scene included officers from the city police department and the Mercer County sheriff’s office, as well as a unit from the Bluefield Fire Department and at least two ambulances.
Two males were observed seated on a sidewalk down the hill from the cruiser with their hands immobilized, surrounded by law enforcement personnel. Their identities were not immediately released.
At approximately 1:08 a.m. on Tuesday, an officer with the West Virginia State Police arrived on scene and appeared to be taking charge of the investigation of the incident.
Copyright 2017