Portsmouth Police have arrested a 38-year-old man after he allegedly assaulted a Portsmouth Police officer with his vehicle during a traffic stop on Tuesday.
Police say at 9:43 a.m., an officer with the Strategic Traffic Unit conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Western Branch Boulevard and Rodman Avenue on a gray Mitsubishi 4-door vehicle with stolen license plates.
As the officer stood by the driver’s side door, the driver put the vehicle in reverse and proceeded to turn in the direction of the officer.
The driver, identified as 38-year-old Curtis L. Hare, knocked the officer back off her feet, struck her marked police vehicle and fled the area. The officer suffered minor injuries.
Responding officers canvassed the area for the vehicle with no success.
Warrants were secured against Hare for felony hit and run, felony destruction of property, assault and battery of a law enforcement officer and driving on a suspended license as a result of today’s incident. Hare also has numerous unrelated outstanding warrants to include felony sale of stolen property, grand larceny, petit larceny, assault and battery, assault and battery of a family member and attempt to commit a misdemeanor.
He was located and arrested without incident just after 8:40 p.m. Tuesday night.