Driver arrested after collision with IMPD officer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - An Indianapolis driver was arrested after colliding with an IMPD squad car late Thursday night.  Neither the driver nor the officer was seriously hurt, but both vehicles sustained significant damage.

The accident happened just after 11 p.m. on Fall Creek Parkway at 30th Street.  Police on the scene told 24-Hour News 8 that their initial investigation showed a Ford Ranger pickup truck ran a red light going eastbound on 30th.  The IMPD officer's squad car, headed southbound on Fall Creek at the time, hit the rear passenger side of the truck, spinning it around several times before it came to rest on a nearby sidewalk.

The squad car sustained heavy front end damage. The pickup truck's rear passenger side tire was ripped from its axle.

Police were not releasing the name of the driver or the officer involved at the scene, but said the driver of the pickup was found to have a suspended driver's license.  Officers don't believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.

"We were both talking, and just didn't see the red light, honestly.  We were looking forward to College, and it was green," said Michael Campbell, a passenger in the pickup truck.

Asked if he knew the driver had a suspended license, Campbell nodded.

"We knew he had a suspended license.  But, to our belief, he did receieve a letter from the State of Indiana saying the criteria had been met.  So, it's now a matter of me going home and finding the paperwork and seeing what we do next," Campbell said.

Both roads reopened shortly after midnight.