By Mark Price
Miami Herald
ATLANTA — Witnesses to a dramatic car crash saved a police officer’s life when they rushed to pull him free of his burning patrol car, according to Georgia investigators.
The fire erupted around 8:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, after the car crashed into a single family home and both caught fire, the Atlanta Police Department reported at a press conference.
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Investigators say the crash was discovered by chance, when firefighters responded to a structure fire and discovered a burning patrol car at the back of the home.
“Our officer was responding to assist another officer ... who was actively fighting with a perpetrator,” Deputy Chief Charles R. Hampton, Jr. said at the press conference.
“As he was going to the call, he had an accident, ran into the house and the house caught on fire as well as the vehicle. ... The home was occupied by one individual. That individual was able to get out safely and three other individuals helped extinguish the fire and pull the officer out to safety.”
The officer remains hospitalized in critical condition, Hampton said. His identity has not been released.
The person who was in the home was not hurt, officials said.
Some among the witnesses reported the officer was unconscious in the patrol car, but that has not yet been confirmed by police, Hampton said.
“We are extremely grateful for those citizens to assist the officer, to put themselves also in harm’s way, especially if the officer was unconscious,” Hampton said.
Among the rescuers was David Pitts, who found the officer locked inside “and unresponsive” as flames erupted from under the hood, according to WAGA.
“I bust the glass out next to the side mirror so I wouldn’t hit him. And then I stuck my hand inside and opened the driver’s side door from the inside,” Pitts told the station. “When I opened it, he fell out into my arms.”
Georgia State Patrol will lead the investigation into what caused the crash, officials said.
The initial call involving an officer fighting with a suspect was resolved with the suspect being successfully arrested, officials said.
Maps show the home is a single-story and sits on a corner lot.
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