Elkhart police have shed more light on how an officer struck a parked car Tuesday night, rolling his squad car over before escaping with minor injuries.
Elkhart city police say county police are investigating the crash, but city police did release some information Wednesday. They identified the officer as Sgt. Jesus Contreras, a 20-year veteran.
They said a county officer found no signs of impairment in Contreras but his toxicology results were still pending.
His marked Ford Explorer was not in emergency mode, and its lights and sirens weren’t activated. Contreras told the officer he was driving on Franklin Street on his way to a welfare check around 9 p.m. when he briefly looked away from the road to reach for something. When he looked back up he said he didn’t have time to brake and hit the parked car.
Police said interior camera footage shows he was driving between 27 and 32 mph before the crash.
The crash will be submitted to the Chief’s Review Board. It reviews when officers crash city-owned vehicles and makes disciplinary recommendations to the chief.
