Video shows moment motorist crashes into Minnetonka police squad car, injuring officer

Police in Minnetonka, Minnesota, say an officer was injured over the weekend when a motorist slammed into the back of his squad car.

Officer Jeffrey Mathiowetz had pulled over another motorist just before 3 a.m. on Sunday on northbound Highway 169 near Cedar Lake Road, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

While Mathiowetz was inside his squad vehicle parked on the highway's right shoulder, "he was struck from behind and pushed into an occupied Kia K4" by a pickup truck driven by a 61-year-old Ramsey man, the state patrol says.

Mathiowetz was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis for "an unknown extent of injuries," according to the state patrol. The pickup truck driver, who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, was also hurt and was transported to the same hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries is also unclear.

The driver of the Kia wasn't hurt, the state patrol says.

"If you see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road, move over. It's Minnesota law," the Minnetonka Police Department said in a social media post.

Director of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety Mike Hanson said added equipment inside the vehicle, like a steel vault, prevented further penetration into that passenger area, possibly saving the officer's life.

According to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the number of DWI tickets is on the rise, and crashes are down over the past 10 years.

In 2016, there were more than 3,300 crashes compared to a little more than 1,800 so far this year.

Hanson says motorists are the key to keeping these numbers down.

"Drivers must pay attention and the law clearly requires you have to move over when you see an emergency vehicle or any vehicle stopped on the shoulder of the road, if you are able to safely do so. If you can't move over, at the very least you have to slow down to a manageable and safe speed," Hanson said.

The state patrol is leading the investigation.