Police arrest woman after she hits patrol car

A woman reportedly driving erratically was arrested after she allegedly backed into a Vancouver police patrol vehicle.

An officer in the area of Northeast 112th Avenue and Northeast 28th Street observed a vehicle driving in a reckless manner and initiated a traffic stop at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.

The driver, later identified as 24-year-old Amberlynn Louise Howell, pulled into Charlie’s Bar and Grill, 3315 N.E. 112th Ave., and the driver drove into a parking stall, past the curb and onto the grass, Kapp said.

Howell then turned and looked back and after seeing the officer, backed up and struck the right front bumper of the patrol car, Kapp said.

The officer exited his vehicle and Howell opened her door as if to flee, but the officer pulled her from the car and took her into custody, Kapp said. Both vehicles sustained minor damage, she said.

Howell was arrested on suspicion of two counts of possession of a controlled substance.