WATCH: Sheriff’s Deputy Savagely Attacked on Live TV – Now in ICU

A Tennessee sheriff’s deputy is fighting for his life after being violently attacked during a police pursuit that unfolded on live television after a suspect hit the officer with a rock when cornered.

Deputy Dalton Swanger of Knox County was featured on Saturday night’s On Patrol: Live, a cable series hosted by Mediaite founder Dan Abrams. The broadcast followed officers responding to reports of gunfire in a Knoxville neighbourhood, when the situation took a sudden, brutal turn.

Officers tracked the suspect, Christopher Hensley, to a wooded area. As they closed in, he allegedly began shouting and throwing rocks — his voice caught on camera, the violence itself just offscreen. Swanger entered the brush and was suddenly downed, allegedly struck in the head by a rock or brick. Another deputy, Matthew Kirchner, was also injured.

The cameras kept rolling as Swanger was dragged from the undergrowth, visibly dazed and struggling to speak. Off-camera, his condition rapidly declined. He was later hospitalized and moved to intensive care. Law&Crime reported that the sheriff’s office has since shared that Swanger is showing “minor yet significant improvements.”

Tom Rizzo, a co-host of the show, described the studio’s reaction as the footage aired: “The entire studio went silent… as Dalton tried to regain his feet, says, ‘I’m going to be heavy.’ Fuck that, we got you, Dalton.”

A GoFundMe for Swanger’s recovery has so far raised over $64,000.

Hensley was arrested hours later and charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault on a first responder, weapons violations, and drug offences. His bond was set at $2,025,000. He is due in court on August 20.

Watch above via WBIR Channel 10.