A Saco police cruiser collided with another vehicle Saturday evening while the officer was responding to a suspected aggravated assault on Flag Pond Road near the Maine Turnpike overpass, police said.
The call about the assault came at 6:23 p.m., when someone reported that two or three men were beating a third man with a baseball bat, and that the people responsible then fled in a vehicle on Flag Pond Road.
The victim who was allegedly beaten by the other men was treated and released for moderate injuries at Maine Medical Center.
Early Sunday morning, a 16-year-old was arrested and is facing one count of aggravated assault, said Saco Deputy Chief Jack Clements. The investigation continues as police seek others who also may be responsible, he said.
The police cruiser was traveling west on Flag Pond Road when it collided with another vehicle, sending both cars off the roadway.
Both the police officer and the driver of the other vehicle were checked out for injuries.
Separately, the Gorham Police Department will investigate the cruiser crash, Saco police said.
Clements said he does not know how the two cars crashed and could offer no preliminary look at what occurred, including how fast either car was traveling and whether the officer broke any policies leading up to to the crash.
He said the cruiser had mostly front end damage, while the other vehicle had damage on the driver’s side.
“Any time there’s an accident of any significance, for transparency’s sake, we ask another agency to come in,” Clements said. “They’ll get back to us and tell us what occurred.”
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