Fairfax County, VA: A Fairfax County Police Department officer is in critical condition after a suspect viciously attacked the officer inside his own cruiser, leading to a wild turn of events.
According to the department’s chief, Chief Davis, a law enforcement officer was notified of a U-Haul truck that had been reported stolen from Richmond, Virginia, after it was flagged by a license plate reader. The individual who was operating the stolen U-Haul proceeded to park the vehicle in a gas station lot and exited, leaving the scene.
As the police officer stood in front of his patrol car with the driver-side door open, he initiated a conversation with the driver to gather more details and investigate the situation.
After it was confirmed that the truck was stolen, the officer informed the driver, identified as 38-year-old Brandon Lemagne, that he was going to be detained.
At that point, Chief Davis reported that Lemagne attacked the officer and forced the officer back into the cruiser where the struggle continued.
During the struggle, the officer swiftly activated the police radio and urgently called for assistance. He reported that the suspect had forcibly seized his firearm.
According to Chief Davis, the body-camera footage captured the harrowing scene of the savage assault that unfolded in front of the police car.
Incident Worsens On Scene
In a bewildering turn of events, the police vehicle was suddenly shifted into reverse, careening uncontrollably out of the original parking lot, hurtling down a street, and eventually colliding with an unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald’s. Remarkably, throughout this chaotic sequence, the ferocious attack persisted within the front of the moving vehicle.
After the cruiser hit a parked car and came to a stop, two responding officers swiftly arrived at the scene. In response to the imminent threat, one of the officers discharged their weapon, aiming at Lemagne. Meanwhile, another officer, hailed as a hero by Davis, bravely sprinted towards the wreckage of the police vehicle, under the belief that the officer within had suffered gunshot wounds.
With unwavering determination, the 24-year veteran officer reached into the damaged police car, forcefully extracting Lemagne from his assault on the other officer. The assailant was shot and pronounced deceased a short time later.
In a press conference issued by Chief Davis, he said, “[The officer] suffered scrapes, bruises, his eye is bloodied. I’ve never quite seen something like this. That police officer was literally inside of his own police car fighting for his life.”
Cheif Davis then explained to the press how the incident led to the shooting, “He was able to make some radio transmission describing that the assailant had his gun, and that’s what the responding Fairfax County polices officers heard when they were on their way to the scene in response to his call for help.”
A total of two officers discharged their firearms in the incident. The officer who fell victim to the attack refrained from discharging their weapon, as Davis explained that their primary focus was on self-defense and surviving the life-threatening encounter. Furthermore, Lemagne managed to seize the officer’s firearm during the altercation. Law enforcement authorities have successfully recovered the weapon that was taken from the officer in critical condition.
No information has been provided as to if a fundraiser has become available for the wounded officer. If one does, we will update the story as information becomes available.
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