Officer Dragged 77 Feet by DUI Suspect

A 23-year-old Newport Beach police officer was dragged 77 feet in a crowded parking lot Sunday at Fashion Island by a driver she had pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving.

Officer Kristen O’Donnell, who has been on the force less than two years, suffered minor injuries and was treated at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, officials said.

O’Donnell was assisting another officer who had stopped a man identified by police as Jeffrey Minor of Irvine. While the other officer ran a check from the patrol car, O’Donnell stood next to Minor and his red 1987 Porsche, officers said.

Minor tried to get into the car to flee, but O’Donnell grabbed him and the two struggled, police said. He started the car and was about to take off when O’Donnell reached in and tried to cut the engine, officials said.

Minor, 30, allegedly tried to shake O’Donnell off the car and drove away with O’Donnell hanging on, officials said.

The struggle left a long, thin rubber streak on the concrete where O’Donnell’s boot dragged before a sudden jerk shook her off the car and she hit the back of a parked car and fell face first on the cement, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Mike McDermott said.

McDermott said O’Donnell was lucky all she ended up with was a black eye and cuts and bruises.

“We thought the injuries were going to be a lot more serious,” he said. “But she is going to have a pretty good road rash on her face.”

Minor was later arrested in Irvine on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. He is being held in Newport Beach City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.