Trooper dragged by SUV near Seaford, gets free during struggle over Taser, police say

Adam Duvernay | The News Journal

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A state trooper Tuesday afternoon became entangled in a moving SUV and struggled with the driver over the taser the officer was using in an effort to stop the vehicle, police said.

The trooper was treated and released at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital after the incident, which occurred on German Road near Seaford, police said. The driver was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, among other crimes.

Police said it started around 5:30 p.m. when the trooper pulled over the Durango driver, later identified as 29-year-old Brandon Showell. Police said he gave a false name.

Police said Showell put the vehicle in drive and the trooper's arm got tangled in the steering wheel as the driver accelerated. The trooper tried to deploy his taser as he was being dragged, police said, and the vehicle stopped while the two struggled.

The trooper freed himself, and police said Showell unsuccessfully tried to flee on foot.

Police said Showell was wanted on a Sussex County Superior Court robbery warrant and for several violations of probation. He was also charged with second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer; resisting arrest with force; possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony; criminal mischief; criminal impersonation; driving with a revoked license; and two counts of failing to stop at a stop sign.

He was committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $10,000 cash-only bond.

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