DETROIT (WWJ) - At least two Detroit police officers were injured while trying to apprehend a man in a mental health crisis while a third officer was hurt while running after a suspect in a separate incident on Wednesday night, authorities said.
The Detroit Police Department said all three officers were taken to the hospital for treatment, two of which had minor injuries and are expected to be OK. Information about the third officer was not released.
The first report of injuries occurred around 7:30 p.m. on March 2 near Woodingham Drive and 7 Mile Road, west of Livernois, the Detroit Police Department said.
Officers from the 12th Precinct got involved after a domestic violence call was made to 911. The suspect was said to be arguing with family members and wound up biting his mother.
When police arrived on scene, they saw someone in a car immediately leave the area. The driver -- who police identified as the suspect -- ended up crashing into a light pole just north of Seven Mile.
Officers went to aid the man when he began acting strange, authorities explained. The suspect claimed to be an alien and became combative with police, hitting one officer.
"The suspect was out of the vehicle acting irrationally and started striking one of our officers," Detroit Police Cmdr. Curt Worboys said in an update to the case. "The officers were able to subdue the suspect without using much force, but they did have to taze the suspect and took him down to Detroit Receiving Hospital."
Worboys said the man is believed to have been going through a mental health crisis.
The second incident occurred around 10 p.m. when a police officer was hit by a car while running after a suspect on foot, the department added. No other details about the case were released by authorities.
The commander said the incidents only highlight the variety of calls officers respond to on a daily basis.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” said Worboys. “You show up, and things are already escalated to a higher level and we’re walking in blind.”
This a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ LIVE for the latest updates.