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Driver arrested after pickup strikes Las Vegas police officer
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Brandon A. Potts, 42, of Henderson.
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Brandon A. Potts, 42, of Henderson.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Apr. 15, 2011 | 5:43 p.m.
A Henderson man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Thursday morning after he drove his truck into a Las Vegas police officer investigating a separate drunken driving accident.
Brandon A. Potts, 42, was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing substantial bodily harm after the 1:35 a.m. collision on Las Vegas Boulevard South, near Town Square.
Police said a 54-year-old motorcycle officer was parked near the median of Las Vegas Boulevard and was investigating a single-vehicle crash involving a 2001 BMW. Police said a woman, who later was cited for DUI at University Medical Center, had crashed the BMW into the median and had suffered minor injuries.
During the investigation, Potts' 2009 Chevrolet Silverado struck the officer from behind, throwing him about 50 feet, police said. A second motorcycle officer witnessed the accident .
The first officer, who was not identified, was taken to UMC with a skull fracture, a dislocated knee, a fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs and a punctured lung, police said. Police said he was in serious condition but was expected to recover.
Sgt. Richard Strader, an investigator with the Metropolitan Police Department's fatal-accident detail, said the crash frustrated officers. With the two DUI accidents, Strader said, two more people were arrested on suspicion of DUI after being stopped driving through the second accident scene.
"He's out there investigating a DUI accident, and then he's struck by someone else who is allegedly impaired," Strader said. "There's no reason for it."
Strader said the incident was a reminder to citizens not to drive after consuming any amount of alcohol.
He added that citizens are required to change lanes if they see an officer stopped on or off a roadway, both on side streets and highways.
"They need that cushion area," he said. "Officers are trained to keep their heads on a swivel, but sometimes there's nothing they can do."
Potts was arrested at the scene and booked at Clark County Detention Center on the charges.
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I know the suspected driver in this horrible accident personally. He would never do ANYTHING to hurt, harm, or endanger another human being, EVER. Let's hear the facts 1st, and make our Judgements later. I pray the Officer makes a complete recovery, and very soon. My heart goes out to everyone involved in this horrible ACCIDENT............
@GDR...I gave your post a second glance and have to admit I did miss the point you were making and instead inferred that you were complaining about the inconvenience. My apologies.
@bghs1986-
While I agree with your rebuttal of the whole "he'd do the same for you" proposition, I'm curious as to how my comments could, in any way, be construed as "insensitive".
@Rightwinger11-
Your wildly inaccurate inferals from my comments lead me to ask if it's that time of the month for you. My point had nothing to do with being inconvenienced or delayed, in fact I made absolutely zero reference to such a thing. The point was that, despite over 20 Metro units on scene, Metro lost control of the traffic situation. I saw someone enter the "closed" area because the officer who was supposed to be stopping people from entering was standing on the sidewalk jawing with a buddy. He literally watched them drive past him, then kind of strolled after them while his buddy looked around as if to make sure a sergeant hadn't seen what just happened. Town Square security had better control of traffic. The problems and chaos that got Metro upset was a result of their own ineptitude and incompetence. Rudeness and an apathetic attitude from an officer charged only with monitoring a perimeter is simply inexcusable and only makes his fellow officers' jobs more difficult by creating a negative impression and heightening tension. I hope your ovaries stop hurting soon.
Well he's proabably looking at 5-10 years it's a wonder that motor cop is still alive.
@rightwinger11...If I were critically injured in an accident, would Metro pull every available officer to black cross streets so I would have an unfettered trip to the hospital. Would ordinary citizens seeking medical help be refused entry to UMC until I arrived. I agree that Greendoor's comments were insensitive, but sell that "cops would do the same for you" story to someone who doesn't know better.
One of the reasons that any Metro officer would bend over backwards to repsond to an accident is because there salarys is raping our system and filling the officers pocket, and any how it's not bending over back wards it's doing there job while they are on the clock and as long as they are not drinking coffee or eating donuts, they have to respond if it's within their beat.
@Green Dragon Regular:
I'm sorry that you were caught up and delayed. I'm also sorry that your time meant more to you than an Officers Life. The very Officer that would bend over backwards to respond to YOUR accident scene and divert traffic so that YOUR A** doesn't get run over. And if you died, they’d close off the street as to find clues and maybe bring your killer to justice in a case of Hit-and-run, which "UNFORTUNATELY" is a usual occurrence in Las Vegas. So please, a little more compassion, empathy and patience would be appreciated so that Mother F*****G Cops can do their Mother F*****G jobs....
Pure entertainment.