FROM ABC NEWS- Surveillance video shows the moment a man allegedly attacked three police officers with his car early Tuesday morning.
Three officers with the Phoenix Police Department were standing outside a gas station convenience store around 1:45 a.m., just after they investigated an unrelated assault case, Public Information Officer Sgt. Jon Howard told ABC News. It was the first day on the job for one of the officers, so they were discussing the incident they had just investigated. Howard said.
The video shows a red sedan accelerating from the opposite end of the parking lot and attempting to run them over before crashing into the store.
The suspect struck two of the officers before crashing into the squad car and then into the convenience store, causing “extensive” damage, police said. The video shows one officer remain on the ground next to the squad car after he was hit, while another officer is seen being thrown in the air by the impact of the crash. The third officer was able to jump out of the way, police said.
Inside, the clerk can be seen running away from the counter as soon as the sedan crashes through the store’s glass wall and into a shelf of goods, where a customer stands on the other side.
The suspect “struggled violently” with the officers “for several minutes,” police said, as patrons exit the store to checkup on the officer lying on the ground next to the squad car. In the video, the suspect appears to exchange punches with one of the officers before they both tumble to the ground.
The suspect, identified as 44-year-old local resident Marc LaQuon, was arrested and taken to a county jail, Howard said. He was charged with three counts of attempted first-degreemurder, five counts of aggravated assault, one count of resisting arrest and two counts of criminal damage. It is unclear if LaQuon has obtained a lawyer or entered a plea.
The two officers who were struck sustained serious but life-threatening injuries, police said. The third officer, who was able to jump out of the way, sustained some injuries during his struggle with the suspect.
“As a Department, we are very fortunate these officers were not killed or more seriously injured,” said Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner. “We are living in uncertain times, and this is yet another reminder of how important it is to stay vigilant, and to watch out for one another.”