Winter Haven police say an officer came under fire responding to a party and was nearly run over by a car he was trying to stop. The driver of the car was arrested, but it’s unknown who fired the shots.

WINTER HAVEN — Winter Haven police say an officer came under fire early Sunday morning and a Lakeland man was later arrested for driving toward the officer, who was trying to stop his car.

Jamari Osheay Hampton, 19 who was released from a three-year prison sentence in December, was arrested on felony charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude police and misdemeanors of resisting an officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.

Police say it’s unclear who fired the gun.

In a media release issued Sunday, police said Officer Luis Garcia and other officers responded to a disturbance involving firearms at 2:45 a.m. Sunday in the 200 block of Avenue P Northwest.

Several vehicles were blocking the road. And as Garcia approached the crowd on foot, he saw several people run south on 3rd Street. Rounding the corner where the people had run from, he said he heard gunshots and saw four to five muzzle flashes in his direction in the dark. So he drew his agency firearm and tried to find out where the shots were coming from. According to the news release, he saw several people get into a black Nissan 4-door vehicle in the area where the gunshots came from, and with his firearm drawn, yelled for the occupants to get out of the Nissan.

The Nissan drove toward the officer, police said, and a rear passenger jumped from the vehicle. Garcia had to move to avoid being struck by the vehicle.

Other officers tried to stop the vehicle as it traveled north, and the Nissan crashed into some trees on the east side of the roadway, becoming airborne at Quentin Avenue and Unity Way.

Police say Hampton fled from the driver’s side of the vehicle.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit helped capture him.

According to the WHPD, Garcia was not injured, and there are no reports of other injuries involving the incident.

Hampton was released from state prison in December, where he was sentenced to three years as a juvenile, and is currently on probation. The WHPD said those previous charges did not occur in the WHPD jurisdiction.

Hampton is being held without bail at Polk County Jail, pending first appearance.

Police say no firearm was located in the vehicle, and the investigation is ongoing to determine the origin of the gunfire at the initial disturbance.

Kathy Leigh Berkowitz can be reached at kberkowitz@theledger.com or at 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @kberkowitzthel1.