Feb. 22, 2023 Cheektowaga Police Officer Troy Blackchief suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury, among other injuries, when he was struck as he tried to place stop sticks to end a chase of two stolen SUVs.
By Stephen T. Watson Source The Buffalo News, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Cheektowaga police officer who suffered traumatic injuries when he was struck by the driver of a stolen SUV two weeks ago has awakened and can communicate but faces a lengthy recovery, Police Chief Brian Gould said Tuesday morning.
Officer Troy Blackchief suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury, among other injuries, at 4:30 a.m. Feb. 6 when he was struck as he attempted to place stop sticks on Union Road, near the Kensington Expressway, to bring an end to a police pursuit of two stolen SUVs that began in Depew.
Blackchief underwent immediate surgery at Erie County Medical Center and remained in the hospital’s trauma intensive care unit, where he was heavily sedated and breathing with the help of a ventilator, Gould said.
In Tuesday’s update, Gould said Blackchief’s condition has fluctuated over the past two weeks.
The officer’s breathing tube has been removed and he is placed under sedation at times, Gould said. He has regained “a level of consciousness,” the police chief said, and can communicate on a limited basis with family and medical staff.
On Monday, Blackchief underwent surgery to repair his carotid artery.
“It is clear that Officer Blackchief’s road to recovery will be long and difficult,” Gould wrote in a statement.
Blackchief, 45, is a 17-year veteran of the department. He is married with two children.
Gould went on to say Blackchief’s family and the Cheektowaga Police Department appreciate the community’s support and concern for the injured officer. He also thanked the medical team at ECMC, along with doctors and nurses from Buffalo General Medical Center and the Gates Vascular Institute for their help in caring for Blackchief.
Gould did not provide an update on the investigation into the hit-and-run incident but said the probe remains a priority.
In the early morning of Feb. 6, Cheektowaga police were assisting the Depew Police Department, which was investigating reports of stolen vehicles in the village.
Two vehicles were taken from homes on Penora Street, which crosses through Depew and the Town of Lancaster.
Depew police spotted the stolen vehicles and, shortly before 4:30 a.m., began a pursuit near Walden Avenue and Dick Road.
The chase entered Cheektowaga on Dick Road north toward Genesee Street, police said previously, and then headed west on Genesee toward Union.
Blackchief was in this area and attempted to put down stop sticks on Union. The devices are set or thrown on the road to deflate the tires of vehicles that are fleeing from police.
One vehicle ran into the officer before speeding off. Police soon found that vehicle, a white 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, abandoned at a gas station in the town.
Later that day, Buffalo police found the second vehicle, a maroon 2019 Jeep Cherokee SUV, also believed to have been stolen.
“We have been in touch with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and remain confident that those responsible for this violent crime will be held responsible,” Gould said.
CrimeStoppers of Western New York has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information that could lead to an arrest in the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Cheektowaga Police Lt. Daniel Albrecht at 716-686-7461.