Suspect Pulls Cop Into Choke Hold And Drags Him During Traffic Stop

A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly putting a Canton police officer in a choke hold and dragging him with his car after a traffic stop.



The incident happened just after midnight in the 1000 block of 12th Street Northwest. According to a police report, the officers pulled over a red Ford pickup truck for a speeding violation.



After the driver stopped, he exited the vehicle and refused to cooperate.



During the confrontation, the man grabbed one of the officers, put him in a choke hold and dragged him into the truck's cab with him and drove away.



The officer's partner tried to stop the suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Mario Jermaine Pratt, by using his Taser but the weapon was ineffective, police said.



With the officer still hanging partially out of the vehicle, Pratt drove a short distance but crashed his truck nearby. During the altercation, the officer who was dragged fired a single shot from his weapon but didn't hit the driver.



Pratt was taken into custody, transported to Mercy Medical Center for evaluation and then taken to the Stark County Jail.



He was charged with two counts of felonious assault on a peace officer, abduction, resisting arrest, and various traffic offenses.



The officers involved in the incident were not injured.