Female cop dies after she is dragged along for a block by vehicle that sped away during a traffic stop then hit a tree
- Mother-of-one Katie Thyne, 24, has been named as the officer who died
- She had stopped the vehicle in Newport News, Virginia, last night
- The driver of the vehicle sped away but crashed nearby and has been arrested
- The officer was rushed to hospital where she died later from her injuries
A female police officer has died after a vehicle she pulled over during a traffic stop sped away, dragging her for a block along the road before it crashed into a tree in Newport News, Virginia.
Katie Thyne, 24, a mother-of-one, has left behind a two-year-old daughter, after what should have been a routine check on the 1400 block of 16th Street turned into tragedy.
At a press conference this morning Newport News chief of police Steve Drew said the young officer was one of two who were in conversation with the driver on Thursday evening, in the area of 16th Street and Walnut Avenue.
Newport News Police announced the tragic death of the officer on its website last night
However, Mr Drew said the man, who was in the car with a female passenger, put his foot on the pedal and accelerated away .
‘One officer was able to step out of the way, she was not,’ he said. ‘She was inside the door, between the door and the vehicle, she was dragged about a block and the vehicle struck a tree and there was an impact there.’
Chief of police Steve Drew was set to give a press conference this morning
The driver of the vehicle sped away after the incident yesterday but crashed nearby and has been arrested and taken into custody.
The chief of police said Thyne suffered multiple injuries and was taken to a local hospital where she died, despite the medical professionals’ best efforts.
‘Medical personnel did a phenomenal job…the nursing staff, the surgeons they did outstanding work, very respectful,’ he said in an emotional statement on the death of his colleague.
According to the Newport News Police Fallen Officers page, Thursday is the first line of duty death in Newport News since Officer Larry Douglas Bland died May 13, 1994 — almost 26 years ago.