photo by: Richard Gwin

Lawrence police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that fled a traffic stop and injured a police officer Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Lawrence Police Department press release, at 4:46 p.m. a Lawrence police officer conducted a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Rhode Island Street involving a white Ford Fusion with Missouri license plate SM6W3R. During the stop, the officer was dragged as the vehicle fled the scene southbound on Rhode Island Street, the release said. The officer was taken to an area hospital for treatment, the release said.

Lawrence Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads said Tuesday evening that the officer had been released from the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. The department did not release the officer’s name.

The driver was described in the release as a man wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie. He was said to be wearing aviator-style sunglasses and of a “clean-cut” appearance.

The Lawrence Police Department is asking anyone with information on the incident or who can help identify the suspect to call the department at 832-7509.