Montgomery County Police identified the driver and officer involved in this incident on Tuesday on the Beltway.
Police said Officer Francis McDonough, a 20-year-veteran of MCP, was helping Maryland State Troopers direct traffic at the scene of a multi-car accident near the Connecticut Avenue Beltway exit when a driver veered out of his lane and struck the officer.
The driver, 58-year-old Eugene Taylor of Baltimore, remained in his vehicle as McDonough banged on his window and car roof. Footage from a local news station helicopter above the scene then shows Taylor getting out of the vehicle and McDonough — clearly irritated — shoving McDonough to the ground.
Police said Taylor was arrested and charged for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Police also said Taylor’s breath sample upon his arrest showed a breath alcohol concentration of .22. Taylor was released after processing at a district station.
McDonough was taken to a local hospital by MCFRS personnel on the scene. Police said he sustained non-life threatening injuries and released.
According to a press release on Wednesday, the Police Department “is reviewing the circumstances of this incident.”
Video, screenshots via WUSA9
