dumb tempe cop gets run over when he chases a kid thru traffic. and the tempe police try to use it as an excuse to say that being a cop is a dangerous job. thats rubbish. cops are not taught to run into traffic with out looking like this moron did. Original Article Officer follows runaway into traffic; both hit Casey Newton The Arizona Republic Aug. 15, 2005 12:00 AM TEMPE - A 16-year-old runaway was critically injured Saturday night after being run over by a car that also hit a Tempe police officer. The boy, whose name was not released, remained in critical condition Sunday at Maricopa Medical Center, Sgt. Dan Masters said. Officer David Koger underwent surgery Sunday morning to repair multiple fractures to his left leg. He is expected to recover, Masters said. Koger had been chasing the boy, who was reported missing earlier that evening by his mother, police said. Koger found the boy near 48th Street and Southern Avenue, close to a Wendy's restaurant where the boy worked. The boy ran from Koger but tripped while crossing Southern, police said. Koger followed the boy into traffic, where both were struck by an oncoming Hyundai. Koger was struck in the leg and rolled off the car's windshield, Masters said. The boy, who was still on the ground, was trapped under the car. The driver of the vehicle was not impaired and was not speeding, police said. Masters said the Police Department's thoughts were with the boy and with Koger, a four-year veteran of the department. "It's a sad reminder of the inherent dangers of our job," he said. The boy's mother told police she hadn't seen her son for two days. Police said they do not yet know why the boy ran from Koger. A man who answered the phone Sunday at the boy's house said the family declined to comment. Reach the reporter at casey.newton@arizonrepublic.com or (602) 444-6853.