The perils of the job were experienced up close and personal for a pair of VicPD officers this week.
On Tuesday around 10 p.m., an officer followed up a complaint about a man openly using drugs inside a business in the 1200-block of Douglas Street. As the officer approached, the man became violent, shoved his way onto the street and after a short foot pursuit, assaulted the officer in an attempt to escape.
Other officers were on scene by that time and took the man into custody. Police are recommending a multitude of charges, including assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, failing to comply with a probation order and possession of a controlled substance.
At around 6:30 p.m. that day, an officer in a police cruiser was heading north on Quadra Street responding to a domestic assault call with lights and siren on. While other vehicles had stopped to let the car pass, a vehicle heading west on Hillside Avenue did not and struck the police car broadside on the passenger side.
The two occupants of the second vehicle were unhurt, but the officer was taken to hospital for treatment and released that night. The crash is still under investigation.