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 Tuesday got into a wreck with a civilian on his way to the crime, then passed out in the street while trying to help the civilian driver, according to police.
Officer George Forbes is expected to be OK and is receiving treatment. Forbes was driving to the robbery at the Trust Federal Credit Union at 1529 Gunbarrel Road with his lights and siren on when he 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 it 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 robber brandished a handgun, but no one was hurt, according to police.
The robber escaped, and both the FBI and Chattanooga police are investigating the crime, with the FBI taking the lead.
Police did not issue any citations related to the wreck.
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