Man arrested after MARTA motorcycle officer injured in crash
ATLANTA - A MARTA motorcycle police officer was badly injured during a crash late Friday afternoon in northwest Atlanta.
App users: Click here for full article
It happened around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Fairburn Road and Thompson Drive. Atlanta Police said the driver of the van involved, 52-year-old John Waid, failed to yield at the intersection.
"The driver slammed into the motorcycle, throwing the off-duty Marta police officer off the bike," Atlanta Police Sergeant John Chafee said. "The officer was leading a funeral procession at the time."
SKYFOX 5 followed the ambulance carrying the officer to Grady Memorial Hospital around 4 p.m.
"At last check, the officer was listed in stable, but serious condition," Chafee said.
SKYFOX 5 then flew to the scene where it found part of the officer's motorcycle under the front of a van.
Officials said Waid was not cooperative with police and got into a fight with bystanders.
Waid is facing numerous charges including open container, failure to yield and interrupting a funeral procession.
"Because he was so combative, officers were unable to perform a field sobriety test," Chafee said. "They immediately took him into custody, but it is a possibility that he was drinking at the time."
Officials have not released the identity of the officer involved.