Three Carrollton police officers dealing with a suspected drunken driver along Stemmons Freeway narrowly escaped injury as another suspected drunken driver plowed into their police vehicles.[[288699921,L]]
Sgt. Sheldon Blackwell was at the wheel of the most seriously damaged police vehicle when the crash occurred.
“I just happened to look up in the rear view mirror a split second before it happened. I didn’t really have time to think about it,” he said.
It happened around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday night on the northbound Interstate 35E in Lewisville between Fox Avenue and Main Street.
The Carrollton officers had stopped a man there who was reported to be driving erratically by other drivers further south on the freeway in Carrollton.
Blackwell said he positioned his Tahoe to protect the other two officers in front of him. His vehicle was hit first by a pickup truck that lost control Then, the dash cam of the police vehicle in front of him recorded the suspect’s pickup smashing a third Carrollton police vehicle. The first DUI suspect was safely in custody in the police vehicle that recorded the video, and no one was injured despite the heavy property damage.
Blackwell said nationwide two police officers have been killed in roadway crashes already in 2015 and the Carrollton officers and both suspects were all lucky to live through this crash.
“Just moments earlier, one of my officers was standing on the lane side of traffic, getting something out of his car. So, yeah, it’s scary. It happens,” he said.
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Carrollton police spokesperson Jolene DeVito said the crash shows why Carrollton is serious about drunk driving enforcement.
“We could be standing here today talking about a terrible tragedy. Luckily we’re not. Luckily this is one more opportunity to remind people, don’t drink and drive,” she said.
The pickup driver was in the Lewisville Jail Wednesday charged with failure to maintain financial responsibility and driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol level greater than .15. The legal limit is .08.
Suspect Jose Cecilio Fabian Gonzalez, 29, gave police a home address very close to where the wreck occurred in the 500 block of South Stemmons Freeway.
Lewisville police said the suspect’s immigration status was being reviewed. No Texas driver's license, voter registration or criminal history could be found in public records for a person with his name and date of birth.
The original Carrollton suspect was also charged with driving while intoxicated.
