Photo: Ajax9 / iStock / Getty Images
(Des Moines, IA) -- A man is in custody after ramming a police car and crashing into an East Village hotel early Wednesday morning. According to the Des Moines Police Department, officers responded around 6:30 a.m. to multiple reports that the suspect was attempting to assault pedestrians.
"People had to jump out of his way in the crosswalk. One caller said that he was trying to hit people in the crosswalk; another caller said he was up on the sidewalk," said Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek.
Witnesses reported that at first he was chasing people on foot and later driving a vehicle on the sidewalk, attempting to run them over.
"The couple folks that called said that there were people that had to scramble out of the way. Some described him as driving 50 miles an hour, we don't know if that's true," said Parizek.
When police attempted a traffic stop, the suspect rammed a squad car and fled at a high rate of speed. Authorities say he ran multiple red lights before crashing into the Embassy Suites Hotel.
"From there, he threw it back into gear and took off going north on Robert D. Ray by City Hall. He ran a couple red lights, and then the officers described it as no attempt to turn, no brakes, just ran straight into the wall," said Parizek.
The man was taken to the hospital for a broken bone and is in police custody. No other injuries are reported, and charges are pending. Police are continuing to investigate.