Modesto police officer in patrol SUV hit by suspected drunk driver
A Modesto police officer was hit by a suspected drunk driver Monday evening while driving a patrol SUV on Sisk Road, police said.
The officer was traveling north on Sisk around 7:42 p.m., Sgt. Dan Starr said. As the officer was passing Whitcomb Way, the driver of a dark Nissan Versa apparently blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Sisk and Whitcomb, turned onto Sisk and struck the front of the patrol car.
The officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Starr said.
The driver, identified by police Tuesday as 33-year-old Tajz Wells of Stockton, was initially pinned inside the vehicle and unresponsive. However, he was removed from the car and Starr said around 10 p.m. the man was responsive and had been taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening.
Starr said Wells appeared to be under the influence at the time of the crash.
No other vehicles were involved, Starr said. A driver traveling behind the officer had enough distance from the patrol car to avoid the accident. A handful of witnesses saw the crash, and the patrol camera system also caught the incident on video.
Sisk remained closed for several hours following the crash.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 7:39 AM.
