Belleville traffic stop sends probe across three states after officer struck by BMW

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says no one was struck when an officer fired during a traffic stop on Mill Street and Union Avenue near Branch Brook Park in Belleville at about 7:45 Sunday night.

Belleville Police say the stop involved a BMW carrying fake Connecticut plates. According to prosecutors, the driver struck the officer and threw him onto the hood, after which the officer discharged his weapon. The driver then left the scene.

The BMW turned up abandoned in Katonah, New York. Connecticut State Police arrested 22-year-old Damien Sulewski of New Britain at a gas station around 1:30 a.m. Monday. New Britain lies more than 100 miles north of Belleville.

Peter Andreyev, president of the New Jersey State PBA, said the officers involved have been released from the hospital. He said the officer was justified in firing: "Drove at the officer and hit him, struck him, so right there, he is justified to use deadly force because his life is in danger."

Belleville Mayor Frank Vélez said police stand behind their officers. "We are always in support of our law enforcement," Vélez said. "When one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked."

Sulewski faces aggravated assault, eluding and weapons charges. He is being held in Connecticut on $500,000 bail.