A Newark man allegedly struck a Millburn police officer's arm while fleeing a traffic stop at the Mall at Short Hills, the Millburn Police Department said.
The incident took place Oct. 6 when an officer stopped a 2012 Mercedes-Benz for an alleged motor vehicle violation near the mall, according to Patch, which first reported the story. Two passengers were inside the vehicle: an adult in the front seat and a child in the back seat, police said.
After discovering the driver's license was suspended, the officer told him to get out of the car. The driver refused and fled the scene at a high rate of speed, striking the officer's arm in the process, police said.
The child remained in the back seat throughout the flight.
Millburn police arrested the alleged driver the following day in Newark. Shaquan Smith, 28, of Newark, was charged with eluding, assault on a police officer, endangering the welfare of a minor and related motor vehicle offenses, authorities said. The endangering charge stems from the child's presence in the vehicle during the incident, according to police.
The charges are allegations. No information about a court date or an attorney representing Smith appeared in public records as of publication.
The Millburn Police Department did not release details about the officer's condition or the nature of the original motor vehicle violation that prompted the stop. The department also did not say how investigators identified and located Smith in Newark.
Smith faces serious criminal charges in addition to the motor vehicle offenses. Eluding police and assault on an officer are both indictable offenses in New Jersey.
Anyone with information can contact the Millburn Police Department at 973-564-7000.
