A 27-year old San Antonio Police Officer was killed Tuesday, when her police cruiser was struck by a man that police suspect of being drunk at the time, a New York Criminal Lawyer was told.
Police say that the 32-year old driver of the SUV was driving the wrong direction on Interstate-35 in San Antonio when he struck the police cruiser head-on.
Having just finished with a call involving a fight, the young officer was responding to another call involving another officer who might be in trouble when her vehicle was struck. Another officer nearby witnessed the crash and immediately began CPR on the downed officer. When other first responders arrived on the scene, they were able to remove the officer from her vehicle and then rushed her to the hospital where she later died as a result of her injuries.
The first officer on the scene that rendered CPR had stated that he saw no oncoming headlights from the vehicle that struck the officer. On scene investigators had found a bar receipt in the pocket of the other driver, who also died in the crash. The investigation is continuing and police are awaiting the results of the toxicology report to either confirm or refute their suspicions of whether the other driver has been drinking, according to a Suffolk County Criminal Lawyer.
If it is learned that the SUV driver had been drinking prior to the crash, the authorities explained that it would not be his first DWI offense. He was convicted of DWI last September following his arrest for hitting another car after running a red light in June. In Texas, first-time DWI offenders are often given probation instead of jail-time. As part of his probation, he was required to report once a month, and had an ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle.
As authorities were only aware of the man’s one vehicle, a motorcycle, they think that the SUV the man was driving was borrowed. The interlock device is supposed to stop the individual from driving if they have been drinking. The motorcycle is the vehicle that had the interlock device installed.
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