Two city police officers injured, one critically, after SUV hits car

Two Philadelphia police officers were seriously injured early Sunday when an SUV driven by a Bucks County man slammed into a car the officers had stopped during a drag racing investigation in Bridesburg, police said.

The driver of the SUV, John Cusick, 20, of Bristol Township, Bucks County, has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and driving under the influence, said Sgt. Larry Ritchie, of Accident Investigations. He is in police custody.

Ritchie said that officer Richard Hayes was in critical condition at Aria Health - Torresdale Campus with fractured bones in his face and brain swelling. He is currently in an induced coma.

The other officer, George Higginson, was in stable condition at Hahnemann University Hospital, with facial injuries and "numerous stitches in his face," Ritchie said.

Both officers have been with the department for about six years, Ritchie added.

The incident occurred at about 1:20 a.m. when the police were searching a red Chevrolet Prizm they had stopped on the 4200 block of Aramingo Avenue.

One officer was inside the car on the passenger's side. the other was standing on the driver's side, Ritchie said. The two men who had been inside the Chevrolet were restrained inside the police vehicle.

The car driven by Cusick, a black Honda Pilot, slammed into the rear of the Chevrolet which then slammed into the police vehicle parked in front of it, Ritchie said. The Chevrolet was "destroyed," he said.

After the accident, one of the men inside the police vehicle kicked out a window and tried to escape. A passerby restrained him. The man was charged with driving under the influence and attempting to escape, Ritchie said. His companion was charged with driving under the influence. Police have not released the names of the two men.