BUCKLEY, Wash. — A wanted sex offender took on two Buckley police officers, sending one to the hospital with what could be a career-ending injury.
Police said when they first went looking for Derrick Ferguson at a senior citizen's apartment complex early Friday morning for failing to register as a sex offender, they couldn't find him.
They received word he was staying with an elderly relative but she told them he wasn't there. They went in to have a look anyway.
"They found him hiding in a closet," said Buckley Police Chief Jim Arsanto. "From there he became highly combative."
Arsanto said Ferguson rushed toward his officers putting up a fight as they tried to take him into custody.
"He made his way to the front door and one of my officers, as they attempted to give chase, realized that he did not have any feeling in his left leg from the knee down."
The officers attempted to use a Taser to subdue Ferguson but the darts were deflected by a tree. A K-9 search failed to locate him
The injured officer was taken to Good Samaritan hospital in Puyallup for treatment of a shattered knee cap and broken leg. His name was not released. Arsanto said he has been with the Buckley police eight months.
The other officer suffered minor bruises and a twisted ankle.