HOUSTON – A Houston police officer struck a suspected intoxicated driver late Friday night after the civilian disregarded a stop sign, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division.
The officer was driving eastbound down Fuqua Street at approximately 11 p.m. when a civilian driver traveling northbound on a nearby cross street disregarded a stop sign and drove out in front of the marked patrol vehicle. The officer struck the civilian vehicle.
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Video of the incident showed that the driver “blew through the stop sign,” said Sean Teare, Chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Division.
“He didn’t stop,” said Teare. “He didn’t even pause.”
Investigators suspect the driver was intoxicated.
“Based on his statements at the scene and his statements at the hospital, we’re dealing with a very intoxicated individual,” said Teare.
When questioned about what the traffic control devices were and what he was doing, the man told officers that he had the green light, said Teare.
“There are no traffic lights,” said Teare. “Not only did he disregard the traffic stop sign, he didn’t even know what kind of device was there. That’s a good indicator, that’s what we in law enforcement call a clue, that this person might be intoxicated.”
The man suffered some injuries in the crash. He was transported to an area hospital where he’s receiving treatment and undergoing an evaluation for intoxication. The officer involved did not sustain any significant injuries in the incident.
“This person is going to go to jail,” said Teare. “This person is likely going to have a DWI conviction on their record for the rest of their life, but thankfully it’s not intoxication manslaughter or intoxication assault of a police officer because our officer is here on the scene still. He did not suffer any significant injuries.”