A Smyrna Police De[artment(SPD) officer and his detainee were injured when a fleeing DUI suspect crashed into an SPD patrol car.
On Wednesday at approximately 10:40 p.m., an SPD patrol officer observed a red pickup truck failing to maintain its lane of travel and driving recklessly on US 13 in the area of Cory Lane.
Officials said the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, however, the driver fled northbound on US 13. In the area of US 13 and Mill Street, the driver sideswiped a vehicle and continued northbound.
At the same time, another Smyrna Police Officer was pulled over on the shoulder of US 13 in the area of Mount Vernon Street. This SPD officer had an unrelated DUI suspect detained in the rear of their vehicle according to police.
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The pickup truck, still fleeing northbound drifted off the roadway and struck the parked SPD unit, pushing the car off the shoulder and into a yard. The pickup came to a rest in the median of US 13. The driver, identified as Paul Reed, 62 of Smyrna had to be extricated from his truck. The Smyrna Police Officer in the struck vehicle was entrapped and had to be removed with assistance from Citizen’s Hose Company members. His detainee was able to free himself from the damaged vehicle.
Reed, the Smyrna Police Officer, and the detainee were all transported to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries. Upon his release from the hospital, Reed will be arraigned on the following charges:
5th offense DUI
Disregarding a Police Officers signal
Possession of ammunition by a person prohibited
3 counts of Reckless Endangering 2nd degree
2 counts of Vehicular Assault 2nd degree
28 other traffic offenses
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Breaking Report
Just after 8:45, Wednesday evening rescue crews from the Delaware City and Christiana Fire Companies along with New Castle County Paramedics were dispatched to the area of Wrangle Hill Road and Red Lion Road for reports of an accident with injuries.
Early reports indicate that an officer was involved in an accident with another vehicle at that location. Readers report that a Delaware State Police patrol vehicle was involved in the accident. The driver of the other vehicle refused transport to the hospital. It’s not clear if the officer was injured or transported.
Later on Wednesday, at 10:44, rescue crews from the Citizen Hose Company of Smyrna along with Kent County Medics and American Legion Ambulance 64 responded to the intersection of N. Dupont Blvd and E Mount Vernon Street for a motor vehicle accident with injuries.
This accident involved two vehicles with both drivers trapped. One of the vehicles was a Smyrna Police patrol vehicle the other was a pickup truck. Both drivers were extricated shortly after the arrival of emergency services. Both drivers along with a third patient, a passenger in one of the vehicles, were transported to an area hospital with unknown injuries.
Both intersections were closed for a lengthy period of time as police investigated.
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