Ivy Runnels (left) and Vernon Green (right)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - An officer with the Newport News Police Department has died from her injuries after a traffic stop Thursday night.
According to the department, at 6:47 p.m., Officer Katie Thyne conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1400 block of 16th Street.
At some point during the encounter, the driver accelerated, dragging Thyne. The vehicle fled the scene and crashed nearby in the area of 16th Street and Walnut Avenue.
The driver, Vernon Green, was taken into custody after the crash. The vehicle's front-seat passenger, Ivy Runnels, was also arrested.
Thyne suffered multiple injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where she later died, the department said.
The crash happened near a small bridge near Salters Creek, which pours into the James River. There is a boat launch in the area.
According to the Newport News Police Department's "Fallen Officers" page, Thyne is the 12th person in the department's history to be killed in the line of duty.
Many surrounding police departments have sent out their condolences.
Newport News Police Chief held a press conference about the incident at police headquarters Friday morning, where he gave an emotional account of the incident and remembered Thyne.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Click here for our full coverage on the death of Newport News Police Officer Katie Thyne.
