EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Police Department released body camera footage showing a motor officer narrowly escaping being hit by a vehicle during a traffic stop.
The July 25 incident began with a traffic stop “like any other,” according to the department. Body camera video shows the officer dismounting from his bike and approaching the driver’s side window of the vehicle he had just pulled over.
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As he spoke to the driver, the officer suddenly jumped back as a vehicle plowed into the stopped vehicle.
The officer and the driver of the stopped vehicle were both injured, but their injuries were not life-threatening, according to the department.
“This incident is a stark reminder that traffic stops are among the most dangerous parts of an officer’s job. In a matter of seconds, a routine stop nearly turned tragic,” the department stated. “When you see emergency lights on the roadside, Move Over or Slow Down.”