A Fort Worth police officer is recovering after he was intentionally struck by a vehicle during a pursuit Saturday morning, police say.
Officer Matthew Brazeal was sustained life-threatening injuries in the line of duty, and he has undergone extensive surgeries in order to stabilize his condition.
The incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. June 13 when officers tried to initiate a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle in the 4200 block of North Freeway. Police began chasing the driver and Brazeal was attempting to deploy stop sticks when he was struck by the driver, police said.
Brazeal is a veteran of the United States Army and a three year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department. He previously served as a law enforcement officer in Parker County and Weatherford.
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Throughout Brazeal's extensive surgeries and recovery in the hospital, his family could not be by his side due to COVID-19 restrictions.
According to the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, Brazeal faces a long road to recovery. Donations can be made to Assist the Officer Fort Worth in Brazeal's name at https://atofortworth.org/make-a-donation. Donations can also be made on this Facebook post using the donation link.
The suspect who struck Brazeal with his vehicle has been identified as 38-year-old Ronnie Jackson. Jackson was arrested and charged with criminal attempted murder and evading arrest with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.
