STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A local police chief is recovering from injuries after he was hit by a car while trying to stop a teen he thought was behind the wheel of a stolen car.
The incident happened Tuesday in Stowe township when Chief Matthew Preininger was investigating a report of an escapee from a juvenile detention center in a stolen SUV.
Preininger and another Stowe Township officer confronted the driver of the SUV in an alley behind 7th Street. According to police, when the chief approached the SUV, 18-year-old Julian Reese revved the engine and drove toward him at high speed.
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The criminal complaint says the chief was hit and thrown to the ground. The impact caused the chief to drop his handgun and radio.
Preininger had some minor scrapes and bruises, according to Stowe Township Commissioner Cheryl McDermott.
Reese and three others were spotted in Troy Hill shortly after the chief was struck and taken into custody without further violence.
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