Lucky escape: Police officer dragged along by car as suspect drives off (VIDEO)

A US police officer escaped potentially serious injuries after a suspect drove off with him clinging to the car. The officer was called out to a shoplifting incident, but the accused had other ideas – driving off, with the officer literally in tow.

"He basically, like, circled around over here and finally fell off the car, y’know - almost could have got ran over," said Prerak Patel, who witnessed the event unfold in Savannah, Georgia, on the evening of May 9.

The suspect, believed to be 23-year-old Brandon Adams, was sitting in the driver’s seat. He was using his mobile phone, saying that he wanted to call his brother. The law enforcement officer asked the man on a number of occasions to take the keys out of the ignition and then step out of the car.

However, Adams, who was parked outside a gas station, had other ideas and proceeded to drive off, despite the law enforcement officer having his arm entangled in the seat belt.

The footage from the policeman’s bodycam shows him accelerating rapidly with the car before falling off shortly afterwards, rolling along the ground several times before calling in his predicament on his radio.

"I was just shocked. It took me a second to run to him and I saw all of his stuff was ripped up and everything," Patel said, speaking to the WTOC news network, as he rushed to see if the stricken officer was OK.

Patel, who is the store manager at the Shell gas station, had called the police after Adams was alleged to have cashed a fake check. After arriving, Patel then pointed the law enforcement officer to Adams’ car.

The name of the officer has not been released, but the police department says he was able to return to work the next day without serious injuries.

Adams, who was driving a black Ford Focus, is now also wanted by police for aggravated assault.