Bodycam footage shows Houston cop driving at high speed with ONE hand before killing pedestrian on sidewalk
Body camera video from Houston Police Officer Orlando Hernandez showed the moments after he struck a pedestrian while responding to a call for backup on Dec. 4, 2021. Hernandez was driving on the sidewalk when he hit Michael Wayne Jackson
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Houston Police Department (HPD) has released bodycam
footage from a December 4, 2021, incident that showed a cop driving at a
high speed before killing a senior citizen. The 62-year-old Michael
Wayne Jackson, who was going to a barber, was allegedly fatally hit by
officer Orlando Hernandez, who was driving a police SUV with his partner
officer Anthony Aranda.
The case has yet not reached a grand
jury, Harris County district attorney's office spokesperson Dane
Schiller said Monday, January 3. But the department released the two
videos on December 30 from body cameras worn by driving officer Hernandez and his colleague Aranda – both 25 and working as cops for just a few years.
According to the police vehicle’s speedometer shown in a clip from Hernandez’s bodycam, he was seen sometimes driving between 80 and 100 mph down Reed Road despite the speed being restricted to 40 mph in the area. The clip also showed the officers driving while keeping on lights and siren so that another cop could get help while catching five people allegedly involved in a carjacking who reportedly escaped after a short chase.
A crash report filed by HPD also mentioned that the roads were wet that
day because of the rain and videos showed the windshield wipers of the
6,300-pound Ford Police Interceptor activated as Hernandez drove it
through traffic. He was also seen many times using only one hand to
drive over greasy roads. A few moments later, Hernandez's SUV was seen
approaching from the east of the 4100 block of Reed Road near Scott
Street around 5:40 pm while Jackson was walking west on the sidewalk.
Then
a red light happened at the Reed Road and Scott Street intersection and
as the cop in question sped toward the intersection, he was seen
steering wheel around 180 degrees to avoid any collision. But he
reportedly lost control of the vehicle a bit as it leaped the sidewalk
and crushed the victim before banging into a garbage bin.
A
document made from Google Maps and a diagram from HPD's crash report
stated that Hernandez fatally hit Jackson nearly 34 seconds after
passing through the intersection at Cullen Boulevard, which is 3,755
feet, leading to the observation that he drove at an average speed of 75
mph before he jumped onto the sidewalk. Crash investigators with HPD's
vehicular crimes division also said that the officer was “traveling at
an unsafe speed” and “performed a faulty evasive action”.
Soon
after the accident, footage showed Hernandez and Aranda running towards
the man. The cop called the dispatch and said, “I need HFD here. I just
got wrecked out, uh, Scott and Reed. One male patient is going to be
knocked unconscious, not breathing, uh, bleeding from the head.”
Hernandez was also seen telling Jackson, “Sir, sir, sir. Wake up, sir.”
One
more officer was seen arriving at the scene and telling Hernandez to
give chest compressions to the victim. The footage ended there.
Reportedly, soon after that the Houston Fire Department’s paramedics
arrived and declared Jackson dead.
The old man’s brother Timothy Jackson has slammed the young officers. He told Chron.com,
“It looks like to me, maybe the guys couldn't drive that well. They
just weren't ready. Their skill level in pursuits maybe wasn't that
good, because they came out of the street onto the sidewalk. They put
anybody that's on the sidewalk in danger.”
Doug Griffith,
president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, called the December 4
episode a “tragic accident” and added: “Officers were responding to an
assist while chasing robbery suspects. It's my belief that the officers
left the road to avoid a collision and never saw the citizen. Truly sad
for all involved.” Meanwhile, charges against Hernandez will be brought
or not is unclear.
1 comment:
Any time an officer departs the roadway for a pedestrian sidewalk the risk of hitting someone increases. I'll never forget my first patrol sergeant. He said, "You can't help anyone if you don't arrive." The young officer tried to help but adrenalin affected his judgement. RIP to the pedestrian victim.
Post a Comment