A Chattanooga police officer bit by a suspect Friday night is in fair condition at Erlanger hospital after he sustained an infection resulting from the bite.

Officer John Patterson apprehended a man in connection with a domestic assault incident in East Chattanooga, and while in handcuffs, the man bit Officer Patterson on his left hand, said Sgt. Craig Joel, Officer Patterson’s supervisor who oversees the midnight shift for the East Chattanooga area.

“Everybody expects cops to be injured by bullets or knives,” he said. “I’m most afraid of cars on the interstate” and contagious diseases.

Reached by telephone this morning, Officer Patterson confirmed that he was bitten by a suspect and had a staph infection but directed all other questions to his supervisor or the Chattanooga Police Department public information office.

For complete coverage, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.