Search continues for man who dragged a police officer with van

[unhappycamper]

Search continues for man who dragged a police officer with van
By Chiyomi Sumida and Teri Weaver , Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Authorities on Monday continued to search on and off base at Sasebo for a man who on Sunday dragged a Japanese police officer 30 feet with a stolen van, according to a spokesman for Nagasaki prefectural police in Sasebo.

The van crashed into a main gate at Sasebo Naval Base and later was abandoned near a family housing area early Sunday morning, according to both military and police spokesmen.

It was unclear Monday whether the suspect was a servicemember or affiliated with the base, according to Sasebo Naval Base spokesman Charles Howard.

At about 5:15 a.m. Sunday, a 22-year-old police officer spotted a van that had been reported stolen about half an hour earlier, according to the police.

The officer, whose name police withheld, opened the passenger’s side door to question the driver. The van took off, dragging the officer for about 30 feet, the police spokesman said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?article=59298