A Lauderdale County Deputy Sheriff was injured Wednesday night while attempting to stop a stolen vehicle driven by a 12-year-old girl.

According to Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie, the incident happened shortly before 8 p.m. in a trailer court off Valley Road just outside the Meridian city limits, where the juvenile had stolen her mother’s car after a conflict between the two.

Sollie said when deputies arrived and spotted the vehicle, they then attempted to stop the vehicle to no avail.

“This particular trailer court is a circle drive,” Sollie said. “The driver continued to make loops in the trailer court – that’s when deputies deployed spikes, more than once, striking the tires. The last time through the trailer court the operator of the vehicle struck a deputy.”

After striking the deputy with the vehicle, Sollie said the driver went down the road and came back toward the deputy that was laying on the ground, using the car as a weapon. Another deputy fired his weapon to try to stop the vehicle before further injuries could occur, Sollie said.

Sollie said the injured deputy was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for fractures and contusions and later released. The deputy plans to see an orthopedic surgeon about his injuries. 

Sollie said the young girl is being held in a youth facility. Her name will not be released because she is a juvenile, he said. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case, Sollie said. 

A dashcam video documenting the incident will be used in the case. Sollie said there is another video, shot by bystanders and shared on reaching more than 28,000 viewers. 

“Having seen the video of the incident – the deputy is extremely lucky to be with us today,” Sollie said.

Bianca Moorman contributed reporting.