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JEFFERSON -- A man is dead, and a Jefferson police officer was stabbed in the face early Sunday morning after a traffic stop ended in a violent confrontation in a rural Greene County ditch.
According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, a Jefferson police officer attempted to stop a vehicle at about 1:25 a.m. Sunday. The driver refused to pull over, and a pursuit followed. Deputies from the Greene County Sheriff's Office responded to assist.
The pursuit ended near 245th Street and L Avenue when the driver lost control and the vehicle went into the ditch. Investigators said the driver got out of the vehicle armed with a knife and moved toward the officer. The officer fired, striking the driver, but authorities said the driver continued forward and stabbed the officer in the face.
Law enforcement officers attempted lifesaving measures on the driver at the scene. The driver was later pronounced dead.
The injured officer was taken to Greene County Medical Center, where the officer was treated and released. In keeping with department policy, the officer has been placed on critical incident leave.
The identities of the driver and the officer have not been released.
The DCI is leading the investigation at the request of the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
Agencies responding to the scene included the Jefferson Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff's Office, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, the Jefferson Fire Department, Greene County Ambulance, the Iowa State Patrol and the DCI.