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Police looking for ATV driver who dragged Nashville police officer

Posted at 8:55 AM, Mar 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-18 08:55:42-04

The Metro Nashville Police Department is looking for the ATV driver who dragged an officer down Broadway on Saturday.

About 100 “dirt bikes, motorcycles, ATVs, and four wheelers” illegally took over the street around 3 p.m. on Saturday, MNPD said. It was the second day in a row that off-road vehicles began illegally driving on major roads throughout Nashville, according to CNN affiliate WTVF.

“These individuals were weaving in and out of moving and parked vehicles, endangering motorists and pedestrians, when Sergeant Bourque was struck,” the police department said in a statement.

In a video of the incident, Sgt. John Bourque is seen being dragged along by the four-wheeled ATV before being let go into a metal barrier along the roadway. He had been attempting to stop one of the vehicles when he was struck, according toWTVF.

Bourque was treated and released from Vanderbilt Medical Center, according to a tweet from the department.

The 22-year MNPD veteran was not the only person put in danger by the vehicles.

LaShonda Parks-Bailey toldWTVF that on Sunday morning, one of the ATVs crashed into her son’s car while they were on their way to church.

“He lost control of the four wheeler and it flipped over on my son’s car,” she told the news station. “They ran up the street, got on a bike with another one of the riders. A black truck pulled up, scooped everything up and they just went up on their day like nothing ever happened.”

“They’re putting not only themselves in danger, but innocent bystanders,” she said.

A search is ongoing for the suspect who struck Bourque.