Oklahoma City Police Note Rise In Attacks On Officers

Oklahoma City Police released new body cam video after one of their officers was attacked. Investigators say this is just one of several incidents they've seen in recent months.

In the video, you can see Officer Page get out of his patrol car and try talking to 32-year-old Christopher McPheeters.

According to investigators, Page was flagged down by people saying McPheeters threw an object at another police car.

As Page approaches, McPheeters begins running across the street as the officer chases after him. According to reports, as he catches up, McPheeters pulls out the bottom of a serrated broken glass bottle from his coat pocket and uses it to slash the officer's face several times.

"Officer Page was seriously injured," said Wade Gourley, OKC Chief of police. "He almost lost his eye; he could have been killed. When Mr. McPheeters was interviewed, he stated that his intent was to kill the officer."

Police say nationally there's been an increase in the number of attacks on law enforcement officers the past few years. According to the FBI, from 2020 to 2021, there was nearly a 60 percent increase in the number of officers killed by criminals.

Also, from 2017 to 2019, there have been an average of just over 58,000 attacks on officers each year. Police say over the past couple of years right here in OKC, they've seen several officers shot at, with three being hit by gunfire.

"We've had several officers that have been assaulted over the last year," said Gourley. "Our officers are having to deal with a live variety of very difficult situations."

McPheeters was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center. Investigators say he had been arrested before for assaulting a police officer.