TOUTLE — Authorities say a police officer in Southwest Washington suffered serious injuries after two people in a stolen van rammed a patrol vehicle.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s office said the officer from Castle Rock tried to pull over the suspect vehicle near the community of Toutle around midnight Sunday.
The driver of the van struck the police vehicle twice, officials said, and the officer shot at the suspects, though no one was hit. The driver and a passenger fled the scene but were later caught.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports officer was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
