Chattanooga police work a bank robbery at Trust Federal Credit Union on Gunbarrel Road early Tuesday.
A Chattanooga police officer responding to a robbery at an East Brainerd credit union today got into a wreck with a civilian on his way to the crime and passed out in the street while attempting to help the civilian driver, according to police.
Officer George Forbes received only minor injuries and is expected to be OK, police said. He has been released from the hospital. Forbes was driving to the robbery at the Trust Federal Credit Union at 1529 Gunbarrel Road with his lights and siren on when approached the intersection of Gunbarrel and East Brainerd roads.
At the intersection, a truck stopped on a green light to allow the officer to pass. However, a woman driving a Range Rover behind the truck opted to pull around the truck and drive through the intersection - colliding with the cruiser, witnesses told police.
Forbes "briefly lost consciousness" after the wreck, according to police. The driver of the second vehicle was not injured. She told investigators that she thought the truck in front of her had stopped to try to switch lanes and that she did not see the police cruiser.
The robbery was reported today at 9:17 a.m., according to records. The suspect brandished a handgun but no one was hurt, according to police.
The suspect escaped, and both the FBI and Chattanooga police are currently at the federal credit union investigating. The FBI is taking the lead on the investigation into the robbery.
Police did not issue any citations related to the wreck.
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