Caught on Camera: Officer jumps in suspect's car to avoid being hit

GREENFIELD, WI (KTRK) -- New dramatic dash-cam video shows a Wisconsin officer's split-second decision that kept him from being run over.

On Saturday, Officer Matthew Noah approached a lone parked car at around 2:15am. The officer smelled marijuana and began questioning the man inside.

"He was obviously nervous about something," Noah told ABC affiliate WISN-TV. "I didn't know what exactly, but I could tell something was a little bit off."

Video from the squad car shows the driver then put the car in reverse. Noah's backup officer jumped out of the way, but Noah had no place else to go but inside the moving vehicle.

"When he actually started shifting I realized I was going to be trapped in the door and if I went anywhere but inside the car, which is something you usually never want to do, I was going to get hit or run over," Noah said.

The officer explains to WISN-TV that the two struggled inside the car.

"I got the door opened behind me. I'm half hanging out. I had to resort to striking the driver until he complied," Noah said.

"Had the officer not been able to gain control of the car, he would've probably had to resort to deadly force," Greenfield Police Chief Brad Wentlandt said.

Noah was not seriously injured, but did suffer leg and head injuries. The driver was taken into custody on multiple charges, including injuring an officer and possession of cocaine.