UPDATE 2/3/2022, 5:50 p.m.
In an interview with The Plainsman, Opelika Police Chief Shane Healey said that the injured officer has left the hospital and is at home recovering from his injuries.
Authorities are still searching for Jarren McKay Allen, the suspect identified for injuring an Opelika police officer.
The Opelika Police Department has turned the search over to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, but OPD is still assisting in the case, Healey said.
UPDATE 2/2/2022, 5:22 p.m.
An emergency alert was sent at 5:17 p.m. In the alert, Allen is described as a Black male, 6-foot-3, 220 lb., bald with a black beard and visible tattoos on his neck, chest and arms. The alert said Allen abandoned his vehicle and may be on foot.
UPDATE 2/2/2022, 5:14 p.m.
The Opelika Police Department is searching for Jarren McKay Allen, 33, from Smiths Station, Alabama, in relation to the injury of an Opelika police officer. Allen was last seen near Exit 51 on Interstate 85, according to OPD.
Allen is wanted for charges of first-degree assault, failure to render aid and possession of a controlled substance, OPD says. The case is still ongoing and additional charges are pending.
Police are searching for Jarren McKay Allen, pictured above, who was last seen near Exit 51 on Interstate 85.
Police ask that anyone with information about the case contact OPD at 334-705-5200, the secret witness hotline at 334-745-8665 or through the Opelika Police mobile app. You may remain anonymous.
An officer in the Opelika Police Department has been transported to the hospital after being hit by a fleeing suspect’s vehicle in the Kroger parking lot, police say. The Auburn Police Department is advising residents to avoid South College Street, Auburn Technology Park South and the Auburn Softball Complex as officers search for the suspect.
The officer was responding to a report of a driver striking a cart return in the parking lot, according to a press release from OPD.
When the officer arrived to the Kroger parking lot on Enterprise Drive at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, the suspect drove away, striking the officer with their vehicle.
Rescue units responded to the scene and then brought the officer to the hospital for treatment of “non-life-threatening injuries,” the press release says.
The injured officer also dispatched additional units to locate the suspect. With the assistance of the Auburn Police Department, the suspect’s vehicle was located in the Auburn area, but as of publication, the suspect has not been located. APD said the suspect fled on foot.
APD posted on social media at 2:04 p.m. that there was “heavy police presence in the areas of South College Street, Auburn Technology Park South and Auburn Softball Complex” as officers continued searching for the suspect. Several agencies are searching the area for the suspect, according to OPD.
Police say the suspect is a Black male between 6-foot and 6-foot-2, wearing a grey shirt and blue jeans. Residents are asked to call 911 if they observe a suspicious person in the area.
The Plainsman will continue to update this article as more information is made available.
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Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
