Man sentenced to life in prison for killing police officer

A suspected drug dealer has been sentenced to life in prison for ramming his vehicle into a police patrol car while trying to escape arrest.

DUBAI // A suspected drug trafficker who killed a police officer by ramming his vehicle into a patrol car was sentenced today to life in prison.

S M, 50, a jobless Emirati man, was under the influence of drugs when he intentionally crashed his car into the police vehicle, causing it to overturn.

While eluding police, SM also injured two other police officers, including one who was left with a permanent disability.

Officer Ali Al Ansari, a 33-year-old Emirati at the anti-drugs department, died and his colleague was seriously injured during the chase on Emirates Road. Officer Al Ansari was married with two children. He was buried in Qatar, where his family lived.

Police were attempting to arrest S M after receiving information that he was carrying drugs in his car.

The officers set a trap for the defendant on Emirates Road to catch him as he was returning from Abu Dhabi on December 27, 2010.

An officer who was involved in the arrest testified that police set a trap for the defendant near Muhaisnah Bridge on Emirates Road at around 9pm. Officers spotted him about two hours later.

Police said the suspect initially stopped for the patrol but refused to open his car door, and drove off after he realised they were undercover police from the anti-drugs department.

The defendant stepped on the accelerator and ran over one policeman who was on foot, causing severe injuries. Then he sped away.

Two patrol cars chased MS. He struck one of them with his car, then fled to his home in Ajman, where he was arrested.

A traffic expert told prosecutors that when he was informed about the crash, he found the police patrol vehicle that had been struck on the right side of the road. The car had hit the metal barrier on the side of the road and had torn through it before landing 30 metres away.

The crash was a result of M S hitting the car, which caused the driver to lose control and veer to the right in an attempt to avoid M S's vehicle.

The expert said the accident analysis indicated that M S had hit the police car on purpose.