A police officer in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., narrowly escaped an out-of-control car that came speeding at him from across the median during a traffic stop — and it was all captured on dashcam video.
The close call on Fairfax County Parkway before noon Monday was released Tuesday by Fairfax County police, whose chief said no one was killed or seriously injured.
"It's just miraculous," Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference.
An officer had a BMW 7 Series that was going 73 mph in a 50 mph zone, Davis said.
He was speaking to its driver from its passenger side when another BMW careened toward him, backside first, at more than 120 mph, officials said.
That BMW, a high-performance M3, hit the larger sedan and then spun into a Fairfax County patrol vehicle, video shows. The officer's right leg appeared to have been struck or brushed.
"Cool, calm and collected, he hops over that guardrail and immediately gets on the radio," Davis said.
Three teenagers in the M3 essentially walked away with minor injuries, and the officer and the driver of the other BMW were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released, police said.
The 17-year-old driver of the M3 was cited for alleged reckless driving, the department said.
Davis said that the name of the officer would be released but that he wants to give him time to process the event.
"It’s quite the story for him to eventually tell," Davis said. "But right now, he’s just glad to be alive."
