A police officer had to be extracted from her patrol car in East Anchorage early Monday after an SUV collided with it and pushed it into a traffic pole, APD said.
Cody Peterson, 19, was southbound on Boniface Parkway in a 2007 Toyota 4Runner at 3:11 a.m. when he ran a red light at DeBarr Road and struck the patrol car, police said in an online statement. The officer was eastbound on DeBarr Road and had a green light.
Two on-duty medics from the Anchorage Fire Department witnessed the crash and assessed both drivers, police said. Peterson did not appear to be injured.
Firefighters cut the officer from the vehicle, which police said was heavily damaged. The officer was brought to a hospital for a head injury, and police said she has been released.
Police said “officers noticed signs of impairment” in Peterson and he was charged with operating under the influence.
He is also facing charges of third-degree assault and reckless driving.