A Cedar Rapids Police squad car was rammed by a train and dragged about 100 yards early this morning. No one was hurt. It happened shortly after 3 a.m. after officers stopped a man in an SUV for a licensing violation. The SUV sped away and end up on the railroad tracks. Police followed, but when the chase was called off, the squad car became stuck on the tracks.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Cristy Hamblin says the officers got out of the vehicle and noticed the oncoming train. “They saw the train coming and go out of the way,” Hamblin said. The SUV also got stuck on the tracks about a-quarter mile away, but the driver ran off into the darkness. Police were able to stop another train from hitting the SUV.
Hamblin says officers recognized the man driving the SUV, so “it’s only a matter of time before they find him.”
By Dave Franzman, KCRG, Cedar Rapids