Suicidal Driver Crashes Into Police Cruiser Sheriff’s Deputies Say Man Apparently Was Trying To Kill Himself By Repeatedly Ramming Officer’s Car With His Truck

A Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy was taken to the hospital Tuesday night after a driver crashed into his patrol car during an apparent suicide attempt.

Deputy Barry Alleman was treated for head and facial injuries after Jerry E. Wilson repeatedly rammed his pickup truck into the officer’s car, according to police reports.

“I thought my heart was going to blow up when I turned around and saw Barry’s car crashed,” said deputy Darell Stidham, who was nearby in another patrol car at the time. “It was like he was trying to drive over the top of Barry. It gave me a pretty sick feeling.”

Wilson, 52, of Bayview, Idaho, was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated assault on a police officer Wednesday.

Wilson was treated at the hospital for puncture wounds after a sheriff’s dog tried to remove him from the truck.

Deputies Alleman and Stidham arrived in the Bayview area about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after getting a call about a suicidal person, according to reports.

They noticed Wilson’s pickup alongside state Highway 54, Stidham said.

Wilson began driving down the wrong side of the highway, sometimes between 80 and 90 mph, while the two deputies followed him in the correct lane with their lights flashing.

Wilson then drove the wrong way around a traffic circle just west of Farragut State Park and headed straight for the deputies’ cars, Stidham said.

Wilson first aimed his truck at Stidham’s car, the deputy said. The truck barely missed the patrol car as Stidham veered into a ditch.

Alleman was unable to get out of the way.

“He just drove right at me,” Alleman said Wednesday. “As soon as I saw him coming I laid over into the passenger’s seat and tried to brace myself.”

The truck ripped back the patrol car hood and broke through the windshield. Wilson then repeatedly revved the engine and tried to drive farther over the car, Alleman said.

“I could hear the tires spinning and I could feel the car moving backwards,” Alleman said. “If I’d been sitting up I’m sure I would have been dead.”

Stidham rushed to the wreckage and repeatedly ordered Wilson to stop the truck. Wilson continued to drive into Alleman’s patrol car, Stidham said.

“Initially, I thought Barry was already dead,” Stidham said. But then he saw Alleman struggling to crawl from the car.

Stidham brought his police dog Enno from his patrol car. He broke out the passenger side window of the truck and sent the dog in.

Enno pulled Wilson out of the driver’s seat. But when the dog let go, Wilson tried to get back in the truck, Stidham said.

Wilson finally gave up after Stidham threatened to send Enno after him again.

“If Enno wouldn’t have gone in there after that guy, he wouldn’t have stopped,” Alleman said Wednesday, nursing a black eye, cut eyeball and headache. “I thought I was going to be crushed.”

Alleman was treated at Kootenai Medical Center and released. He will be given time off work to heal. Wilson was treated and then taken to the Kootenai County Jail. He is being held on $25,000 bail.

Capt. Ben Wolfinger said it appears Wilson was attempting to commit suicide and is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol.

“He was probably trying to kill himself and take one of us with him,” Stidham said.

, DataTimes