Video: Driver hit Woodbury officer, squad car before fleeing

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A driver is facing felony charges for allegedly striking a Woodbury police officer and squad car with their vehicle and then fleeing the area early Thursday morning. 

Thomas Elton Shows, 42, is charged with one count each of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and fourth-degree assault of a peace officer. 

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Woodbury police officers found a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle parked outside the Extended Stay hotel on Hudson Road. The driver was woken up by officers who described him as being groggy, having glassy eyes, slurred speech and difficulty answering officer’s questions, according to court documents.  

While one officer went to check the driver’s identification, another officer stayed with the driver and observed him starting to turn the wheel. The officer ordered the driver to turn off the ignition, but as she reached for the driver’s side door, Shows put the pickup truck into reverse.

According to the charges, the officer was hit by the side of the vehicle and knocked into a snowbank. The driver then put the truck in drive, hit a squad car and nearly ran over the officer in the process before fleeing the scene.

The Woodbury officer had soreness and pain in her right hand, wrist and knee but was not hospitalized for the injuries, charges say.

Police stated after several hours, Woodbury officers found Shows and tried to initiate a traffic stop. However, Shows drove through St. Paul and Minneapolis, where the vehicle was ultimately found.

Shows was taken into custody and booked at the Washington County Jail. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday morning.

Authorities said Shows has an additional three felony warrants from Anoka County.