WASHINGTON — U.S. Park Police have identified, and are looking for, the man聽they believe responsible for an assault on an officer that prompted a聽police shooting聽during an attempted traffic stop last Wednesday.
Michael Burnett Jr., 25, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, is accused of ramming a car into a police cruiser and injuring an officer’s leg.
“He did suffer some minor injuries.聽He’s okay now, thank God,” said U.S. Park Police Officer Ana Rose of the officer.
Burnett 聽is the subject of several聽auto theft investigations in Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland,聽Rose聽said.
In the聽incident last week, Rose said the officer attempted to pull over聽a Dodge charger in聽Southeast Washington near Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Talbert Terrace shortly before 4 a.m., following it into an alley.
That’s when the car accelerated backwards, Rose said, and hit the driver’s side door of the police cruiser.
“At which point our officer fired at the car,” Rose said. “He was pinned in and his life was in danger.”
The charger sped away, and the officer was unable to follow, Rose said.
The officer is on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, which happens after all uses of force, Rose said.
