By Joel Marino
Sun Sentinel
LAUDERHILL, Fla. — Lying on the ground injured after a fleeing suspect hit him with a car, a Lauderhill police officer took a quick glance at the speeding vehicle and memorized the tag number, authorities said.
That tag and a description of the car helped the officer’s colleagues find the suspected hit-and-run driver just an hour after the crash, said Capt. Constance Stanley, a Lauderhill police spokeswoman. The suspect was identified as Clarence Anderson, 30, of North Miami. Charges are still pending an investigation.
The officer, Elijah Rodgers, was taken by helicopter to Broward General Medical Center. He is in stable condition.
“It affects all of us when one of our own is injured on the job,” Stanley said. “But when we leave our homes to go out and protect the community, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Police say the officer stopped the suspect’s Lincoln Towncar about 3:40 p.m. at the intersection of Northwest 25th Court and Northwest 52nd Avenue. The officer was conducting a traffic stop, but authorities would not say why the suspect was stopped.
The Lincoln’s driver sped away as the officer walked toward him, striking and injuring the officer, Stanley said.
The suspect was arrested at a home blocks away from the crash, police said. Authorities did not say whether it was the man’s home.
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