Update: Police say Edmond Sgt. Joseph Wells shot at pickup before collision Friday

EDMOND ― Police have released new details and the identities of those involved in the collision that injured an Edmond motorcycle police officer Friday.

Sgt. Joseph Wells, 40, who has worked with the Edmond City Police Department for 16 years, was seriously injured about 1:50 p.m. Friday after pursuing a pickup truck witnesses say had been recklessly driven in Edmond city limits. 

Wells was riding a motorcycle while pursuing the pickup southbound in the 14000 block of N. Eastern Ave., when the pickup made a U-turn and traveled toward him, police said. Wells, who had come to a stop, shot one round at the pickup before it collided with him and his motorcycle, according to a media release from the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Wells was thrown from his motorcycle into a nearby ditch but was responsive as medical personnel carried him into an ambulance and rushed him to an OU Health facility. Police said the pick-up driver was not struck by the bullet Wells had fired, but was also taken to the hospital for evaluation. 

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Emily Ward, public information specialist for the Edmond Police Department, said Wells was in “critical but stable” condition since Friday. 

“I think he’s had a couple of surgeries now, because he’s had very serious injuries,” Ward said. “But as of (Saturday), from what I know, I believe he is expected to live. But he’s got a long road to recovery ahead of him.” 

The pickup driver was arrested at the scene of the crash and booked into the Oklahoma County jail early Saturday, according to Detective Jonathan LaPuzza with the Oklahoma City Police Department. The driver faces complaints of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and endangering others while eluding a police officer. The Oklahoman is not naming the man because he has not been officially charged in connection with the collision.

LaPuzza said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if additional complaints are levied against the pickup driver, as police had received reports of the pickup sideswiping vehicles and striking a guardrail before the pursuit Friday. 

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Because the collision and shooting occurred within Oklahoma City jurisdiction, authorities said the Oklahoma City Police Department will be leading the investigation.

Friday’s incident marks the second motorcycle collision involving an Edmond police officer in recent months. Although he was not in a pursuit, Sgt. C.J. Nelson died in July after being struck by a pickup just south of Edmond city limits. Had he survived, Nelson would have turned 39 Thursday, the day before Wells’ collision.