The Associated Press
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) -- Two Rio Rancho police officers were recovering after a man suspected in an armed robbery rammed their patrol car.
Jeramy Nuckolls, 26, slammed into the police car of officers Bradley Case and Brett Dennison on Saturday. All three men were hospitalized after the crash, but the two officers were released Sunday.
Police began pursuing Nuckolls -- who is wanted on charges in Arizona -- after an officer saw him nearly hit a woman in a parking lot, said Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety spokesman John Francis.
Nuckolls sped away, then turned off his headlights and headed into oncoming traffic. He slammed into the officers’ car head-on, Francis said.
“The guy had his headlights off, so the officer never saw him coming,” he said.
Case suffered a fractured collar bone and cuts and bruises in the crash, and Dennison suffered a dislocated shoulder while trying to tackle Nuckolls afterward.
Nuckolls remained hospitalized for treatment for undisclosed injuries. Francis said his hospital room was under guard.
Police said Nuckolls also is suspected of stealing several DVDs from a video store. The robber allegedly pointed a gun at a clerk who confronted him outside, then ran to his car.