A Louisville man is facing numerous charges after police say he caused an injury accident involving an LMPD officer.
According to the arrest slip, it happened Thursday around 3 p.m. on Interstate 64. That's where police say an LMPD officer was traveling westbound in the fast lane of I-64 when he noticed the suspect, 50-year-old Christopher Constant, tailgating him. According to the arrest slip, Constant was "following officer's vehicle so close that officer could not see the front bumper" of subject's vehicle from his rear view mirror.
The officer was traveling with the flow of traffic, and a semi truck and school buses were in the immediate lane to the right, so the officer could not speed up or merge into the slower lane due to traffic. Constant allegedly continued to closely follow the officer for about a half-mile before trying to pass him in the right lane, but ended up striking the officer's vehicle as Constant merged back into the fast lane.
The impact forced the LMPD vehicle into the median barrier near the Hurstbourne Lane exit. Police say the median was covered with heavy snow and ice, and the officer's vehicle spun at least once in heavy rush hour traffic. That's when the officer activated his lights and siren and pulled his car up on the median.
According to police, Constant pulled over to the right shoulder of the expressway, then "exited his vehicle and charged across four lanes of traffic." Police say Constant was "verbally and physically confrontational" with the officer who wrecked his car and other officers who arrived at the scene.
When told he was being arrested, Constant allegedly struggled with officers as they tried to handcuff him and managed to rip the gun and holster from one officer's waistband. That's when another officer drew his weapon and pointed it at Constant, but Constant grabbed it with both hands. The officer pulled the gun away from Constant's grasp and struck him several times. He was then handcuffed and taken into custody.
During the struggle, police say, a large knife fell from Constant's pants. Both officers suffered minor injuries from the struggle, and the officer who crashed reported neck pain and stiffness from the collision.
Constant is now charged with -- among other things -- two counts of assault, reckless driving, two counts of wanton endangerment, one count of disarming a peace officer and one count of attempting to disarm a police officer.