Cops say man tried to run them down in Franklin Square

Police arrested a Floral Park man and charged him with attempted murder on Sunday after he tried to run down at least two officers in Franklin Square, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

Responding to a 911 call claiming that someone was driving erratically onto neighborhood lawns, authorities found Jason Maurus, 36, in a white Jeep on Polk Street at around 11 p.m. When a police car following the Jeep activated its lights and siren, Maurus turned onto Madison Street, where he attempted to maneuver his pursuers into a tree, police said.

Maurus’s vehicle eventually came to a stop at a dead end on Lincoln Road. When police approached the Jeep on foot and demanded that he turn off the engine, he instead shifted into reverse and drove directly at the officers, forcing at least two of them to dart out of the way. One officer fired two rounds, striking the Jeep’s front tire.

Finally brought to a stop, Maurus refused to get out of the Jeep, and struggled with police as they subdued and arrested him. According to the police report, he was in possession of a pipe used for illegal drugs. No officers were injured during the incident, though Maurus needed medical treatment for a bruise on his face.

He faces charges of attempted murder, driving while alcohol-impaired, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and possession of a controlled substance. Maurus was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.