WINDHAM – A police officer injured
during a rush-hour police chase on Interstate 93 Friday afternoon is
expected to make a full recovery, according to authorities.

Sgt.
Carl Wagner said Officer Jason Dzierlatka suffered serious, but
non-life threatening injuries after he was struck by a Dodge Avenger
driven by an alleged bank robber near the weigh station just north of
Exit 3. Dzierlatka had deployed stop sticks in an attempt to halt the
vehicle, according to police.

While Wagner did not comment on the
extent of Dzierlatka's injuries, he said the young officer was in a
Boston hospital and had "a good outlook."

"We believe he will return to work, albeit it will be a matter of months," Wagner said.

Dzierlatka has been with the department for two years, according to authorities. It is his first job in law enforcement.

Though
Dzierlatka was unable to stop the fleeing vehicle, authorities later
apprehended the driver, Clint E. Pickering, 24, of Epsom, and
passenger, Patrick McKeen, 23, of Laconia, on Route 110 in Dracut,
Mass., after they crashed their vehicle.

According to
authorities, one of the men entered the Bank of New England at 58 Range
Road in Windham at about 4:36 p.m. and handed the teller a note
demanding an undisclosed amount of money. Witnesses later spotted the
pair fleeing eastbound on Route 111 toward the Exit 3 on-ramp where
authorities began a police pursuit that took them north to Londonderry,
through a crossover and back south across the Massachusetts state line
to Exit 46.

Though officers from multiple police departments were
involved in the pursuit, Wagner said the two men were taken into
custody by the Massachusetts State Police and were held as fugitives
from justice at the Andover, Mass., barracks before being transferred
to the Essex County Jail in Middleton, Mass.

Both men will be arraigned in district court in Lowell, Mass., tomorrow morning, according to state police.

Wagner said authorities in Windham were preparing arrest and search warrants for Pickering and McKeen.

According
to police, Pickering will likely face multiple charges, including
robbery, first-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder.
McKeen will be charged with robbery, criminal theft and criminal
liability of another.