Man Accused of Attacking Missoula Police After Hit-and-Run
Early Sunday morning, March 5, Missoula police responded to a hit-and-run that escalated into an assault on a peace officer.
"At about 2:00 a.m., officers were called to the report of a hit and run accident involving three parked, unoccupied vehicles located in the 1300 block of Catlin Street," said Missoula Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh. Through investigative work done at the scene, police were able to locate the suspect at his home nearby."
Apparently, 24-year-old David Hooper left his vehicle near the accident and walked home. Police showed up on his doorstep shortly after making the discovery and say that Hooper seemed very agitated and became aggressive.
"He suddenly began resisting their efforts and started to actively fight with the officers," Welsh said. "It seems at one point, after he was in handcuffs, he forced himself backwards by kicking off one of the patrol cars and landed on top of one of the arresting officers."
One of the officers suffered minor injuries in the scuffle. Hooper’s assault added a felony charge on top of of two traffic violations and three misdemeanors, including DUI and Resisting Arrest.