By Joanna Putman
Police1
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Three law enforcement officers were injured when a suspected drunk driver crashed into their patrol vehicles during a felony traffic stop, CBS 12 reported.
St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputies Skylar Guertin and Jeffrey Anzalone, along with Fort Pierce Police Officer Corey Bernardini, were assisting with the stop on Nov. 30 when a white SUV crashed intothe back of their patrol cars, according to the report. All the vehicles involved had their emergency lights activated.
“You could see these patrol cars with their lights on two miles away,” said St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson, who noted the driver was found with an open container of alcohol in his vehicle and appeared to be slurring his speech.
The crash left the officers bloodied and bruised, with cuts to their hands and various injuries, according to the report. Initially reported as serious, Pearson later clarified that X-rays revealed no broken bones. However, a third deputy sought medical attention after the adrenaline from the crash wore off.
Photos shared by Pearson show the wreckage, with one patrol vehicle crushed and totaled on its left rear side. The SUV’s front end was destroyed, and its airbags deployed upon impact.
Body camera video from the incident shows officers leaping away from the vehicles as they heard the squeal of brakes approaching, with one officer getting his hand trapped under a vehicle’s tire.
The driver, who has a prior DUI conviction, was arrested at the scene and faces six charges of DUI with injury and property damage, as well as charges for refusing a sobriety test, according to the report.
“This could have been much, much worse,” Pearson said. “Hopefully, he’ll get a stiffer penalty this time so this doesn’t happen again.”
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