By George P. Hassett

A driver who nearly crashed into a police cruiser on Powder House Rotary had a bag of cocaine in his car when the officer stopped him Nov. 12, police said.

Wayne Hamilton, 38, of 30 Beverly St., Arlington, was arrested on Broadway and charged with failure to wear a seat belt, failure to yield at a stop sign, possession of a class B drug and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

After Hamilton nearly struck the police cruiser, Somerville police officer Michael Capasso allegedly saw Hamilton and a passenger, Steven Moore, moving around in their seats in a way that suggested they were trying to hide something, police said.

During an inventory search of the motor vehicle, police found on the passenger side floor, in plain view, a small glassine bag filled with a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine, police said.

Police also plan to file a criminal complaint against Moore for drug possession.