Man Drives Into Police Officer

Passenger grabbed the wheel, sped off

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- A man who jumped into the driver's seat of a car and drove off after hitting an officer Thursday night has surrendered to Montgomery County police.

Police pulled over a car at about 8:30 p.m. in the 13900 block of Castle Boulevard in Silver Spring.

The driver got out and was talking to officers when the passenger, Nicholas Omar Banks, suddenly jumped into the driver's seat, police said. He sped away, hitting an officer. That officer fired at him as he drove off.

It's unclear whether the suspect was hit. The police officer was taken to the hospital with leg injuries, but he's expected to be OK. He was scheduled for surgery Friday.

Police found the vehicle the man was driving, but they haven't figured out why he jumped behind the wheel in the first place.  When officers went to Banks' home, he was not there, police said, but officers found evidence that he was injured.

"I don't know what his motivation was except not to be caught by police tonight," said Lt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County Police spokesman.

Banks' family helped coordinate his surrender Friday morning. He was treated Friday at Fort Washington Medical Center.

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