Memorial Reminds Officer of Close Call

As Prince William County police officer Rebekah Kushner watched an annual ceremony last week commemorating fallen police officers from across the country, she couldn't help but reflect on how close she came to joining their ranks, she said.

Kushner was rammed by a minivan driven by a teenager she was trying to pull over last month on suspicion of drunken driving, police said. The teen led authorities on an overnight manhunt April 2 through Woodbridge, drawing gunfire from Kushner and another officer, before the 17-year-old, of Fairfax, was apprehended the following morning.

Kushner, 29, was pinned against her squad car and knocked unconscious, she said, suffering a concussion, cuts to her forehead and left ear and some deep bruises. She returned to work last week.

Kushner said that in light of her experience, attending a candlelight vigil Wednesday honoring 133 officers killed nationwide in the line of duty last year as part of National Police Week was "surreal."

The ceremony was held in the District's Judiciary Square, where thousands of names of slain officers are carved into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

"I've got to tell you, it had new meaning for me this year," said Kushner, who has been on the force a little more than four years. "If that guy had hit me just a little bit harder, they'd probably be etching my name on that wall next year."

Officials said the number of law enforcement officers killed in 2008 was the lowest in the 21-year history of the vigil and the lowest in the United States since 1960.

Kushner was pursuing the suspect about 8:30 p.m. that night and followed him down a dead-end street, police said. They said the teen then turned the vehicle around and accelerated toward Kushner, who had gotten out of her car. She fired at the minivan he was driving before being pinned against her squad car but did not hit the suspect, police said.

The teen fled and another officer, Jeff McKinney, later fired at him when he reached for his waist, police said, again missing. Reviews of both shootings by police and the office of the Prince William commonwealth's attorney found them to be justified. The suspect faces several charges, including attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer and felony hit-and-run.

Despite the risks Kushner has now seen firsthand, she said she wouldn't trade her job for anything. She is back on her patrol assignment, covering the Woodbridge area, and said she relishes the spontaneity of it and the chance to help solve other people's problems.

All officers are conceptually aware of the dangers they face, Kushner said, but it has become more concrete after her experience. She has a "permanent reminder" of the night of the chase in the form of a one-inch scar on her forehead.

"It doesn't really become real until it happens," she said. "It just changes your outlook."

Staff writer Clarence Williams contributed to this report.