Boise Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a man they say is responsible for striking and injuring an officer in an intentional hit-and-run Wednesday.
Officers have identified the suspect as Kyler Olsen, 24. He is wanted for aggravated battery on a police officer and failure to appear in court for sexual battery of a minor. Both are felonies. The latter charge stems from a Canyon County incident.
Olsen is about six feet tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes.
Investigators say he is likely driving a red, two-door Honda Civic with unknown plates.
Shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday, a Boise Police officer initiated a traffic stop near Vista Avenue and Spaulding Streets.
“The traffic stop ended with the suspect’s vehicle and the patrol vehicle facing each other. When the officer was approaching the car, the driver intentionally drove his vehicle toward the officer, striking the officer and his patrol car. The driver then fled the scene,” according to a Boise Police Department news release.
Paramedics and additional officers arrived on scene -- and the injured officer was rushed to a local hospital.
The officer has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery, the press release stated.
The patrol car ended up with front-end damage and damage to the driver’s side.
The suspect's vehicle -- a Hyundai Sonata -- was found abandoned near Hillcrest Drive a short while later.
Officers conducted an area search -- which included a K-9 tracking team, but did not locate either the driver or the passenger, both of whom apparently fled on foot.
On Wednesday afternoon, Boise Police released store surveillance photos of a female they believe was in Olson’s vehicle at the time. Detectives have since spoken with her. They say she is a juvenile -- and that their report will be routed to the prosecutor for possible charges.
Anyone with information about Olsen’s whereabouts is asked to contact Ada County dispatch at 208-377-6790 or Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS (2677), www.343COPS.com, or leave a tip using the “P3 Tips” app for your mobile device.
