Police in San Marcos were putting a 24-year-old woman in a cruiser when another vehicle collided with it at full speed. Authorities say that they think the driver of that vehicle was also intoxicated at the time of the crash. The incident took place at about 2:14 a.m. on March 6, and the driver of the second vehicle was a 21-year-old man who was taken into custody.
The man was charged with intoxicated assault on a peace officer, and he was sent to Hays County Jail awaiting a bond hearing. The woman in the original traffic stop was released on a $2,500 bond, and she was not injured in the accident. Two officers at the scene of the crash were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries before being released. One of the officers said that he had been hit by a drunk driver while on patrol a decade earlier.
He said that the experience helped him respond to this situation in an appropriate and timely manner. A representative from the police department said that the incident should remind people of the dangers of impaired driving. He also noted that instances of drunk and impaired driving had gone down thanks to the introduction of Uber and Lyft in the area.
Those who are charged with drunk driving may face significant penalties if they are convicted. In some cases, a drunk driving charge or conviction could result in a loss of reputation within the community. Accordingly, people who are in this position might find it advisable to retain the services of a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible so that a strategy to counter the allegations can be constructed.
