4 Albany officers suffer head injuries when 2 police SUVs collide

ALBANY, N.Y. — Four police officers suffered head trauma when they crashed their two police vehicles into each other while answering a call for backup in upstate New York, authorities said.

The crash happened Wednesday afternoon when officers dealing with “a combative suspect” in Albany radioed for backup, the Albany Police Department said in a news release.

Officers responding separately to the call crashed their two SUVs into each other, police said.

All four officers in the two SUVs suffered head injuries, two of them serious, and one officer also suffered serious leg injuries, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said at a news briefing outside Albany Medical Center, where the officers were being treated. All of the officers were expected to recover.

Photos of the crash scene show two crumpled vehicles. Hawkins said he did not know if either SUV had its siren on when they collided.

The man who police were trying to take into custody was arrested on charges including drug possession and obstructing governmental administration. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney who could speak for him.

The initial two officers at the scene were treated for exposure to cocaine, police said.