LANCASTER COUNTY — East Hempfield Township Police are searching for a Lancaster County man accused of dragging a police officer nearly 30 feet across a hotel parking lot alongside his vehicle in an incident earlier this month.
Luis Rivera-Colon, 42, of Conestoga, is charged with aggravated assault and driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked in relation to the incident, which occurred on July 3 at the Comfort Inn Hotel on the 500 block of Champ Boulevard in East Hempfield Township.
Police say Rivera-Colon, a former employee of the hotel, was the suspect in a theft incident there. He allegedly came to the hotel to pick up his final paycheck, and other employees there attempted to stall him while police were summoned, according to the criminal complaint affidavit.
As police arrived, Rivera-Colon came out of the front door of the hotel and walked to his vehicle, a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero, ignoring officers’ requests to stop and talk, the complaint states.
Rivera-Colon allegedly got into his vehicle and began to drive off, the complaint says. An officer grabbed the rear-view mirror and driver’s side window, which was open, and attempted to get Rivera-Colon to stop the vehicle. But Rivera-Colon continued driving, forcing the officer to run alongside the vehicle, according to the complaint.
As the officer began losing balance, he was forced to let go of the car out of fear of being run over, the complaint says.
Rivera-Colon then continued driving off. He was last seen heading onto Route 283 East toward Lancaster, police say.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact East Hempfield Township Police at (717) 898-3103.
