Watauga police deny wrongdoing after officer's car hits motorcycle in chase | Latest News | WFAA.com

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=74637118

By MELISSA VARGAS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Posted on Fri, Dec. 07, 2007


Liveleak


A frame from the police car video shows the motorcycle just before it and the car collide. The motorcycle is on the left, just above the words "Watauga DPS."
Second officer collides with motorcycle
First officer initiates chase
WATAUGA -- Police car videos released by the Watauga Department of Public Safety show an officer's patrol car swerving into the path of a motorcycle carrying two people in August.
The officer, William Allen, says, "I hit him."
Seconds later, the officer who had been pursuing the motorcycle arrives at the crash scene and jumps out of his car, shouting, "What were you thinking?"
The videos raise further questions about the Department of Public Safety's claims that the motorcyclist ran a red light and that the officer did everything possible to avoid a collision.
The Aug. 25 collision severely injured the motorcycle passenger, Cynthia Arredondo, 31, who was thrown 60 feet and suffered severe head trauma, broken ribs, and leg and arm injuries. The driver, Derek Muzquiz, 25, was hospitalized for a week.
Watauga police officials have said the two officers were pursuing the motorcycle because Muzquiz had run a red light. The videos don't show him running a red light before the pursuit.


Release ordered
The city fought the release of the videos but was ordered to release them Nov. 30 by the Texas attorney general's office.
Watauga officials have not released the videos to the Star-Telegram, which requested them in September under the Texas Public Information Act. Watauga did provide them to KTVT/Channel 11, which provided them to the Star-Telegram.
In response to previous Star-Telegram reports about the collision, Police Chief Rande Benjamin suspended both officers involved for not following department policy. The Watauga department has declined to identify the officer who began the chase. Allen was providing backup when his car collided with the motorcycle.
Allen was suspended for 60 days without pay, and the officer who began the pursuit was suspended for 15 days without pay.
Benjamin did not return phone and e-mail requests seeking comment about the videos Thursday. City Manager Kerry Lacy was out of the office and could not be reached for comment.
City Councilman Jerry Adams said he had not seen the videos and had not heard anything about the case "in quite a while."


The crash
Allen's police car video shows him racing south on Rufe Snow Drive with his lights and siren on. When Allen turns west onto Chapman Road, he slows as he crosses into the oncoming traffic lane, the video shows.
The motorcycle is traveling toward Allen head-on, then veers to go around the police cruiser. Allen's car swerves into its path and hits the motorcycle.
The video from the pursuing officer's car begins at the intersection of U.S. 377 and Chapman Road, about a mile west of the collision site.
The patrol car is sitting behind the motorcycle, which is stopped at the traffic light with the left-turn signal flashing. When the traffic light turns green, the motorcycle turns east onto Chapman Road and the patrol car follows. At that point, the officer turns on his lights and siren, and the motorcycle speeds away.
As the officer gives chase, he speeds through two stop signs. As he nears Rufe Snow Drive, he can be heard telling Allen on the radio, "You've got him." Seconds later, Allen says on the radio, "I hit him."
The pursuing officer arrives, jumps out of his car and yells, "What were you thinking?" He runs to Arredondo's aid and calls for an ambulance.


No investigation
Arredondo is doing better but is still recovering from her injuries at an Arlington rehabilitation center, her aunt Margaret Burcie said Thursday.
Muzquiz was arrested in October on suspicion of evading arrest with a vehicle, a state jail felony. He was released on $2,500 bail.
Muzquiz's first court appearance was Nov. 5. Prosecutor Tasha Foster of the Tarrant County district attorney's office said she had not seen the chase video. To her knowledge, she said, no one in the district attorney's office is investigating the officers' actions.
Officials with the district attorney's office have said they don't generally investigate police unless someone first makes a complaint to the Texas Rangers or unless a police department makes a complaint to the district attorney.


....the rider is a piece of shit for endangering his innocent passenger and the cop is a piece of shit for trying to kill them both.... end of story

 

thats fucked up. That cop should definitely lose his job and be charged with attempted murder. he tries to kill two people because he ran a red light? I would say thats a little bit of excessive force to stop the guy.

 

The video from the pursuing officer's car begins at the intersection of U.S. 377 and Chapman Road, about a mile west of the collision site.
The patrol car is sitting behind the motorcycle, which is stopped at the traffic light with the left-turn signal flashing. When the traffic light turns green, the motorcycle turns east onto Chapman Road and the patrol car follows. At that point, the officer turns on his lights and siren, and the motorcycle speeds away.

 

Good find Randy

I had never heard of Watauga, TX before and would almost expect the police actions to be over zealous due to lack of experience if it was a small town out in the middle of nowhere, but being that its within the DFW metrolplex (4th largest metroplex behind NYC, Chicago and LA) although it is in the less afluent and more country side of DFW I am greatly disspointed in their action after reading the whole story.

+1

 

Wow that really puts things into perspective... that rider may be a shit head... but what that officer did is wrong. He should def be dismissed from the Police Dept. An example needs to be made of that officer... in public!

 

bottom line he didnt stop, he caused his own misery, HE chose to speed away, the cop didnt make that decision, if you have no reason to run, why run? dont get me wrong the cop definately pursued the wrong course of action, but if he woulve never ran this wouldve never happened, and nobody can deny that

 

ya but it also sounds as if the bike did nothing wrong they said that he ran a red light but then they also say the bike and cop were sitting at a red light and the bike waiting to turn left... the cop is a pos for doing what he was doing they needa stop trying to be hero's esp when the bike "ran" a red light and there would be no reason to chase for a red light the chase should of been called off when it 1st started.

 

The rider is wrong for running, the cop is wrong for committing attempted murder, the passenger should sue both the rider and the police department for trying to kill her. I am sure the law is coming down hard on the rider (as it should), I just hope the law is coming down just as hard on the cop. Both the criminal and the cop made bad decisions, but criminals will always be criminals, cops are supposed to be trained professionals. Cops are granted their power by the public because they are trained professionals and should not make poor decisions like this! The cop needs to lose his badge at the very least and I think there should be criminal charges brough against him.

 

if he didnt do anything wrong, he should of stopped and fought the ticket

 

^your missing the whole point that the cop shouldnt of hit the biker... even the other cop said "what were you thinking" with that said the other cop even knew he did the wrong thing. now if it was a convicted felon then id understand but for someone "running a red light" and getting chased and brought down like esp with a passanger on it, it should of never happened like that. the passanger didnt do anything wrong but also the passanger cant just jump off the bike while its moving instead of the big headed cop trying to do the "right" thing by hitting the biker they should of just called it off. yes the rider was in fault by running but the law should of never taken that measure to stop it. so ^ stop defending cops because you want to be a cop because that cop was in the wrong.