Texas police sergeant killed during a traffic stop when suspect strikes her with vehicle

The mayor of Nassau Bay, Texas, is calling it a "nightmare scenario" after a police sergeant was killed Tuesday night when a suspect she was trying to arrest struck her with his vehicle.

Sgt. Kaila Sullivan was one of several officers performing a traffic stop on a vehicle at an apartment complex in Nassau Bay, southeast of Houston, police said.

When officers determined that the suspect -- identified as Tavores Dewayne Henderson -- was wanted on a warrant for assaulting a family member, they moved to arrest him.

Henderson, 21, allegedly began fighting with the officers, broke free and got back into his vehicle, said Nassau Bay police Chief Tim Cromie at a Tuesday night press conference.

The alleged hit-and-run driver mowed down Sullivan, Cromie said.

As of Wednesday morning, Henderson allegedly abandoned his car and remains on the lam, said Sgt. Dennis Wolfford with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation.

The 16-year veteran officer was taken by ambulance to HCA Clear Lake Hospital, where she died from her injuries. She was 43.

"This a nightmare scenario for our city," said Nassau Bay Mayor Mark Denman, who said it was the first time a Nassau Bay officer had ever been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. "We're a very safe city and I know we'll catch the suspect."

Sullivan was the fourteenth law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in Texas this year. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Texas leads states with the most law enforcement officers killed in the line-of-duty.

Three days prior to Sullivan's death, Sgt. Christopher Brewster with the Houston Police Department was shot and killed during a domestic assault. Arturo Solis, 25, was arrested and charged with capital murder of a police officer.