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MARTA police officer in serious condition after being hit by van

ATLANTA — An off-duty MARTA police officer was hit by a van early Friday evening while working a funeral procession in northwest Atlanta.

The incident happened near the intersection of Fairburn and Thompson roads.

A witness showed Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant cellphone video they shot that showed a chaotic scene as investigators worked to help the officer.

The van hit the officer, identified as Emanuel B. Sabir, who was on a motorcycle. Video from the scene shows the motorcycle pinned underneath the front of the van.

Neighbors told Diamant that the driver of the van, John T. Waid, 52, got out of the vehicle after the incident, and they said they made sure the driver did not leave the scene.

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Sabir was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital by an ambulance led by a police escort. One the witnesses stepped in to apply a tourniquet to his wounds, using a shirt.

“He was not moving. Blood was shooting out of his leg and I came over there and this dude took his shirt off and I tied it around the officer’s leg. He was just lying there on the ground, not moving,” witness Nicole Lee told Diamant.

Investigators at the scene told Diamant that Lee’s actions may have helped save the Sabir’s life.

Police said Waid began fighting with some of the witnesses at the scene. He has been charged with interrupting a funeral procession and having an open container of alcohol.

Sabir remains at Grady Memorial Hospital in serious condition.