A Hutchinson Police Officer is in stable condition after being dragged along a vehicle and beaten with a hammer.
Police say it happened this afternoon when officers responded to the Menards where an employee was reportedly assaulted by the suspect, a 61-year old Hutchinson man, after a dispute over wearing a mask.
A short time later, an officer found the suspect in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart. A slow-speed chase ensued, at which point the suspect stopped. Police say the officer tried to engage the man through the open drivers-side window, and the man drove off while the officer was dragged along. Police say the man then started hitting the officer in the head with a hammer.
The officer was hospitalized and the man was arrested at the scene. The incident is under investigation by the McLeod County Sheriffs Office.