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The incident happened at around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, July 20, in Massapequa, according to Nassau County Police.
Dennis Zvonki, age 43, of Bay Shore, was initially pulled over for speeding in a van on Sunrise Highway near Loudon Avenue.
When the officer instructed him to put his vehicle in park, Zvonki refused, police said. That’s when the officer stepped onto his running board and reached through the window in an attempt to place the van in park.
Zvonki reportedly accelerated and drove away with the officer still standing on the running board, refusing commands to stop.
He eventually drove off the road and onto a sidewalk before crashing into a fence on Clocks Avenue.
Zvonki then tried escaping through the passenger side window, but was grabbed by another officer. He was finally placed in handcuffs after “violently and actively resisting,” according to police.
Officers later discovered that he was wanted on an active bench warrant from Nassau County and was driving with a suspended license.
Inside the van, officers found a 49-year-old female passenger and Zvonki’s 12-year-old son, who was not wearing a seatbelt. Neither passenger was injured.
The officer was taken to the hospital and treated for minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises.
Zvonki was not injured in the crash. He is charged with the following:
- Assault
- Two counts of reckless endangerment
- Resisting arrest
- Multiple vehicle and traffic law violations
He was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Friday, July 21.
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