A Brookhaven man was arrested Sunday and charged with aggravatedassault on a police officer after attempting to drive off while theofficer had his arm in the door of the car, authorities said.

Charles L. Cook, 18, of 512 Vanzie St., was booked into theLincoln County Jail at 3:10 p.m. Sunday on charges of aggravatedassault. He had pulled over on what was meant to be a routinetraffic stop on the corner of Grenn and East Chickasaw Streets.

Police Chief Pap Henderson said Officer Bryan Cavin was tryingto stop the subject after he did not come to a full stop at a stopsign.

“The officer attempted a traffic stop after the subject slidthrough intersection,” said Henderson. “When he went up to thevehicle, he smelled a strong marijuana smell, and asked the subjectto step out.”

Henderson said Cook allegedly attempted to evade Cavin by tryingto drive off.

“The subject attempted to take off and he cut the wheels towardthe officer,” Henderson said. “The officer had no choice but tojump out of the way and had to jump on the side of the vehicle.That was when the dragging situation occurred.”

Henderson said Cavin’s quick thinking brought the vehicle to astop.

“He was holding onto the the side, and was able to reach in andcut off the vehicle,” Henderson said.

Cook was charged not only with aggravated assault against apolice officer, but also possession of marijuana in a motorvehicle, no driver’s license, reckless driving and no proof ofinsurance.

Cavin was not seriously injured in the incident.

University of Mississippi Police Officer Robert Langley wasdragged to his death on a routine traffic stop in Oxford almost ayear ago, emphasizing the danger police officers face on a dailybasis – even in small towns. Henderson said vehicular assault, aswell as any assault on a police officer, is a serious problem andwill not be tolerated in Brookhaven.

“This is very serious,” he said. “We don’t have that happenoften here in Brookhaven, but it happened this time and we willdeal with it accordingly.”