An unprovoked attack on a District of Colombia police officer was made by an ax-wielding man Friday morning, leaving the officer injured while the suspect escaped on foot, D.C. police said.
Early Friday, the unidentified police officer was patrolling when he spotted a suspicious person carrying a baseball bat and went over to investigate further. However, the suspect escaped and slipped into a quiet alley, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.
The officer then entered the alley in his marked police car shortly after 3 a.m. and was ambushed by the person, who shattered the driver's side window with an ax. Immediately, the officer chased the man and tackled him, but after a brief struggle, the suspect was able to escape, police said.
Meanwhile, the officer was rushed to a local hospital with injuries sustained during the struggle, according to CBS Local.
The suspect is described as a 6-foot-1 to 6-foot- 2 black male with a stocky build. Lanier stated that the police and FBI are pursuing 30 to 40 leads, including some generated by tips from the public, the Associated Press reported.
Last week, a hatchet-wielding man attacked a group of police officers in broad daylight, in what New York city police are calling an act of terrorism carried out by a radicalized Muslim convert. But for now, Lanier stressed that police had no evidence linking the attack to any broader plot or the New York hatchet attack.
It hasn't, however, been ruled out as a potential motive. "A lot of these radical organizations, terrorist organizations are very vocal about targeting first responders. It's no secret. It's not new. But it certainly has ramped up," Lanier said. "We're on extremely high alert."
Lanier also said she spoke with John Miller, New York City's top counterterrorism official, to go over any investigative details that might be helpful, WNEW reported.
