Greenwood Village, CO- Police suspect that the driver who crashed into a Greenwood Village patrol car and wreaked havoc at a local dealership last week causing damage to over two dozen new cars was under the influence of drugs.
According to authorities, Jacob Jerrod Lopez clipped a patrol car that was parked on Clifton Court around 10 a.m. last Thursday. After sideswiping the patrol car, Lopez stopped in the middle of the road and when the officer approached his car he appeared to be disoriented and assaulted the officer, CBS Denver reported.
Immediately after the assault, Lopez hit the gas pedal and attempted to flee the scene. He then ran over a curb and a sidewalk before crashing into a utility pole.
Lopez’s car went into a roll and repeatedly struck cars in the parking lot of the Arapahoe Kia Dealership. During the rollover he struck four new cars. 9 News reported that Lopez’s car landed on top of some of the new car. Twenty cars in total were damaged by flying debris as a result of the drugged driving accident. Some of the vehicles sustained major damage to the front end, while other vehicles had paint damage and cracked windshields.
At one point while his car was out of control, Lopez crossed over into oncoming lanes but didn’t strike any other vehicles.
Once Lopez’s car came to a rest, the officer approached his vehicle to see if he was okay. Lopez was awake and after the officer pulled him from the wreckage, he took off on foot. The officer chased him down after a short foot chase and he was taken into custody.
Lopez was injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was later charged with driving under the influence of drugs, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.
Police don’t know what drugs he was on but witnesses told police he may have been huffing paint.
Lopez is lucky he didn’t injure anyone in the accident, though he will probably face financial consequences for causing damage to the vehicles.
As this accident shows, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can have serious consequences. Even though driving may seem like a routine activity, alcohol or drugs seriously inhibit a person’s ability to drive safely and therefore carries serious consequences which can include incarceration, costly fines, loss of driving privileges, and a mar of their record.
The penalties and costs of a DUI alone—the average DUI can cost up to $10,000—should be enough to dissuade a person from getting behind the wheel when they are intoxicated, but it isn’t and thousands of people do it in Colorado each year. Individuals who make the mistake of driving under the influence need help with their charges. In many cases, a person facing DUI charges may be able to have their charges reduced or negotiate for a plea bargain, but they can’t do it without a Colorado DUI attorney to work on their defense
