BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Three Buffalo police officers were hurt - one seriously - while trying to take a man into custody suspected of stealing a car.
According to police, officers spotted a stolen Jeep Commander at Niagara Street and Forest Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Officers, working in conjunction with Erie County Sheriff's Air 1 helicopter unit, were able to track down the vehicle in a parking lot on Breckenridge Street.
When police approached the vehicle, the driver took off, driving on the sidewalk and heading into oncoming traffic at Grant Street before hitting a police cruiser.
According to police, the driver refused to exit the vehicle and told officers he was armed. Police used a taser to take the suspect into custody. A passenger in the vehicle was also arrested.
The two officers in the police cruiser that was hit were taken by ambulance to ECMC. One officer was treated and released. The second officer remains in the hospital with more serious injuries. A third officer - who was injured while removing the driver from the vehicle - was also treated for injuries at ECMC.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, Nilo Pena Delgado, 37, is facing a long list of charges including possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment, and resisting arrest. His passenger, Diana Mix, 31, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
A separate crackdown on stolen vehicles by Buffalo police, in partnership with Air 1, resulted in five arrests Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
