Officials: Deputy pushed from bridge during traffic stop

LOLITA, TX (KTRK) -- Officials say a deputy was pushed from a bridge during a traffic stop near Lolita, TX, in Jackson County Friday night.

The incident happened on a relief bridge on Fm 616 when the deputy pulled over a driver suspected of DWI.

The driver complied with the deputy's request to get out of the car, but as they were talking, the suspect allegedly pushed the deputy, who fell 18 feet from the bridge.

The suspect got in his vehicle and drove off, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

The deputy used the panic button on his portable radio to call for help.

Authorities say the suspect was caught and arrested in Wharton County Saturday morning. He will be transferred back to Jackson County.

The veteran patrol deputy is now in stable condition at a hospital in the medical center in San Antonio. Jackson County officials say he has a crushed vertebrae and leg fractures.