INDIANAPOLIS - The man who struck a police car, seriously injuring the officer inside, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Jerrel Watkins, 27, was found guilty of two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and one count of failure to stop after an accident.

Watkins was arrested in June 2012 after drunkenly driving through a Kroger parking lot, damaging multiple vehicles.

Witnesses said Watkins left the parking lot, turned onto a dead-end street and then made a U-turn, disregarding a stop sign and driving into the path of Officer Santos Cortez, who was responding to the scene.

The crash pushed the squad car into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by a pickup truck.

Cortez is still recovering from the injuries sustained in the accident.

“We are happy the justice system has provided some amount of closures to this horrific tragedy. We look forward to the day when Officer Cortez can return to full duty status with his fellow officers," said IMPD Chief Rick Hite.

Watkins will also have to perform 180 days of community service.