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| Police officer hit by car on A5 after 'cowardly attack' by man holding tree branch | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A police officer has been hit by a car while dealing with a "cowardly attack" by a man threatening him with a branch. | |
| Staffordshire Police said the officer was attacked after stopping a "suspicious" lorry on the A5 near Lichfield at 18:15 GMT on Tuesday. | Staffordshire Police said the officer was attacked after stopping a "suspicious" lorry on the A5 near Lichfield at 18:15 GMT on Tuesday. |
| The officer stepped into the road when attacked with the fallen branch by the lorry driver, who had tried to run off. | The officer stepped into the road when attacked with the fallen branch by the lorry driver, who had tried to run off. |
| He was taken to hospital with serious leg and chest injuries. The suspect escaped after carjacking a Ford Fiesta. | He was taken to hospital with serious leg and chest injuries. The suspect escaped after carjacking a Ford Fiesta. |
| More on this and other stories from Stoke and Staffordshire | More on this and other stories from Stoke and Staffordshire |
| The silver car was later found abandoned near a social club in Pelsall, near Walsall, and officers are still trying to trace the suspect. | The silver car was later found abandoned near a social club in Pelsall, near Walsall, and officers are still trying to trace the suspect. |
| Jane Sawyers, chief constable of Staffordshire Police, called the incident a "cowardly attack" and described support from the public for the officer as "fantastic". | |
| A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said the officer, from Tamworth, was in a "stable and comfortable" condition. | A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said the officer, from Tamworth, was in a "stable and comfortable" condition. |
| The spokeswoman said the incident happened following a short pursuit along the A5 between Wall Island and Weeford Island. | |
| After threatening the officer with the branch the suspect went to a Ford Fiesta that was stationary in traffic on the carriageway. He pulled the driver from the vehicle and drove off. | |
| This vehicle was later found abandoned in Abbey Drive, Pelsall. | |
| "Inquiries so far have established that the HGV involved was stolen and was on cloned plates," police said. | |
| "The vehicles involved, including the Ford Fiesta stolen by the suspect to leave the scene, have been recovered and are undergoing a forensic examination." | "The vehicles involved, including the Ford Fiesta stolen by the suspect to leave the scene, have been recovered and are undergoing a forensic examination." |
| The Ford Fiesta driver was uninjured in the incident. | The Ford Fiesta driver was uninjured in the incident. |