A 17-year-old woman drove through a stop sign in Columbia and struck a police cruiser, injuring an officer Wednesday evening, Howard County police said.
The accident occurred just before 6 p.m. on Quarterstaff Road, when the southbound teen hit a marked police car driven by Officer Christopher Calcaterra, 26, who was headed west on Freetown Road, police said.
The officer, who was briefly trapped in the car, was taken to Howard County General Hospital, where he was treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said. He was released Wednesday, Howard County Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Schroen said Thursday.
The teen was driving in a 2003 Honda Odyssey with two girls, ages 6 and 8. No one in the vehicle was injured, police said.
Calcaterra, a four-year veteran of the county Police Department, was on routine patrol and not responding to an emergency, police said. The driver of the Honda was not immediately identified by police because the investigation continues and it was not clear whether the driver would face charges, Schroen said.