Edina Police Officer Assaulted After Traffic Stop
EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) -- An Edina police officer is recovering after being assaulted by a man she arrested during a traffic stop.
It happened Sunday around 3 a.m. at Highway 169 and Londonderry Road in Edina.
Police say 25-year-old Samuel Ronneberg failed to obey the Tedd Foss law, which requires drivers to move over a lane when there are emergency vehicles with their flashing lights on.
The Edina officer pursued Ronneberg and pulled him over. She smelled alcohol, tested him and arrested him for suspicion of drunk driving.
The suspect was handcuffed and put in the back of the squad car. At some point, he was able to break one of his hands free from the cuffs.
He then told the officer he wasn't feeling well, and asked her to open the door so he could vomit.
"When they opened the door, the officer got attacked," Edina Police Sgt. Kevin Rofidal said.
Ronneberg grabbed her by the hair and struck her several times with the handcuffs.
"It's a piece of metal and can cause some injuries," Rofidal said.
Police believe the officer, who has not been identified, was unconscious at one point before calling for backup after the suspect fled the scene on foot.
The suspect was located by an assisting agency and arrested less than a mile away on Lincoln Road.
"We have a tough job and sometimes we have to deal with some very bad people," Rofidal said.
The Edina Police officer was treated for a head injury at Fairview Southdale and released.
