Cop dragged, nearly killed, by driver outside new Sonic

An 11-year police veteran is recovering with a broken leg and an a fractured ankle after nearly being killed when he was dragged across Route 17 by a car driven by a 23-year-old unlicensed motorist outside the new Sonic Drive-In.

Jerry DeMarco

07/15/2009 9:19 p.m.

Witnesses said Daniel Yi of Hackensack was trying to pull his 2007 Acura MDX into the packed lot Monday night when Hasbrouck Heights Officer Corey Lange waved him off. But Yi refused and when Lange reached into the car for the driver’s documents, Yi hit the gas.

Lange was holding onto the car as Yi cut across several lanes of Route 17, where his car was smashed by a 2000 Honda Civic headed north.

Lange was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with a broken leg, a serious ankle fracture and severe bruises, Molinelli said.

Yi, a waiter at the Mikota Restaurant on Rt. 23 in Wayne, is being held on $100,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail, charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and eluding, as well as several motor vehicle summonses.

Molinelli, meanwhile, commended Lange for his professionalism and bravery in handling the situation.

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