[quote]Watauga officer tried to block motorcyclist in chase By MELISSA VARGAS A North Richland Hills accident report on a collision involving a Watauga officer indicates that the officer tried to block a speeding motorcycle instead of taking evasive action, as the Watauga department has previously said. The collision occurred in Watauga, but North Richland Hills took the report because it involved a Watauga police officer. The North Richland Hills report was released Thursday under the Texas Public Information Act. Previously, Watauga Police Lt. Philip Adams told the Star-Telegram that the officer involved in the crash "took all of the evasive action he could, but he couldn't avoid" the collision. The Aug. 25 collision involving a patrol car and the motorcycle sent the motorcycle driver and his passenger to the hospital. The passenger, a woman, had life-threatening injuries. Watauga police referred questions to City Attorney Mark Daniel on Friday. Daniel has declined to talk about the collision, saying the information is "privileged." He also declined to release police in-car audio and videotapes of the collision, and the city's policy on pursuit and blocking vehicles. The city has appealed the Star-Telegram's request for the information to the Texas attorney general's office. In his letter to the attorney general, Daniel said that revealing the pursuit policy would tell criminals how to avoid capture in Watauga. Police have said they were chasing the motorcycle driver, Derek Muzquiz of Watauga, because he ran a red light. They have issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the collision, documents show. The accident report states Muzquiz was cited for evading arrest with a vehicle. Muzquiz, 25, says the police car caused the collision. "There's no doubt in my mind he hit us and intended to knock us off," Muzquiz said Thursday. "He nearly killed two people." His passenger, Cynthia Arredondo, 31, of North Richland Hills spent nearly a month in the hospital and was transferred to a rehab center last week, Muzquiz said. She could not be reached for comment. The collision Muzquiz and Arredondo were riding his black and white Suzuki GSXR about 11 p.m. Aug. 25 when a patrol officer tried to pull them over near Denton Highway and Chapman Road, Watauga police have said. The North Richland Hills accident report states that Muzquiz fled east on Chapman Road "at a high rate of speed." About a mile east, as the motorcycle neared Rufe Snow Drive, another officer coming to aid in the pursuit turned west from Rufe Snow Drive onto Chapman Road. That officer pulled his patrol car into the eastbound lanes of Chapman Road in an attempt to block the motorcycle, the report states. When the oncoming motorcycle swerved into the opposite lane, the police car swerved into the same lane. The impact threw both riders from the motorcycle. According to a North Richland Hills officer's map of the collision scene, a helmet and shoe were found about 30 feet away from the impact, and a blood pool was 60 feet from the collision. Witness Regina Allen was eastbound on Chapman Road, waiting at the light at Rufe Snow Drive. The second squad car, which was not using lights or sirens, made a wide turn onto Chapman Road and nearly sideswiped her, Allen said in a telephone interview Thursday. "Then I heard a crunch and saw a girl fly through the air and land on her head," Allen said. "I looked back and saw the motorcycle laying under the front end of the squad car." Allen turned into a nearby gas station and parked her car directly in front of where Muzquiz's body landed, she said. Allen said she saw Muzquiz get up, wander a few feet and collapse. She rolled down her car window and asked the officer if he needed help, she said. "He told me to get the hell out of there, and that I was supposed to just go home," she said. [b][u]Allen said the officer then got out o

 

So, his bike traveling at a high rate of speed isn't a deadly weapon? He had a citation coming and look what running got him. What if that witness had pulled out while he was running down that road?

 

Personally, I think the officer should be either suspended indefinitely or terminated. I do believe that criminals should get what they have coming to them. However, in this instance, why in the hell would the officer endanger the life of the passenger? How can he honestly think that she would want to take part in the idiotic decisions of the rider? Yea, she was riding with him, but that doesnt mean she would be egging him on yelling, "RUN, RUN, RUN!" Hell, for all he knows she might not have known that he had a suspended liscense and did not have insurance.

Now, if there wasn't a passenger, then I think the officer has a little more give as to what he should do, and it is then that he can make the decision that he made. Atleast then, an innocent person would have been put in a life threateninig condition.

Ok, that's my .50

 

^^
If we follow yourlogic,they might as well charge the rider with kidnapping. since what I get from your line of thought is that the passenger was there against her will once the rider decided to run.

Could it have been handeled differently? Maybe...hindsight is 20-20
But it was the rider that made the choice to run from the police, and thus to endanger his passenger.

 

The police officersfailed in their job, "To serve and protect". If they were close enough to run the bike over then they could of got his plate #. So if he got away they could of later arrested him for his crimes and he would of got what he deserved. Im a firm believer that you play you pay. But the officer that ran over the bike put the public in harms way and seriously injured the passenger. Because the rider made a stupid move doesn't mean the officer had to do the same.

 

So who's to say whether or not that rider that ran would have hit some soccer mom down the road. Who's looking out for their safety? There are two ways this could have gone down:

A.) They take him and his passenger off the bike. Ending the risk to others.

B.) They let him run and continue to endanger the lives of innocent people.

There is only one correct choice and the officers made it.

 

That's why they call off high speed pursuits if they feel it is endargering the public.

Also remember this, HE RAN A RED LIGHT. They didn't rob a store or just kill someone. The punishment did't fit the crime. All the "what if's" you can think of has nothing to do with the situation at hand.

 

He also ran from the police. He endangering others by traveling at a high rate of speed. The law is not on his side. He has a record, no insurance, no license, and he got what was coming to him no matter how you look at it. He would have been facing fines but he chose to run. The police were looking out for the safety of the public by effectively ending the chase when they had an obvious opportunity.

 

Ok you win, they should have backed up and ran him over agian cause he did get up for a second and could of crossed the streetwithout waitingfor the signal to turn.

Just hope your not put in that spot as a passenger sometime.

 

Pretty much, yes she was. What do you expect her to do? Jump off at 50 or 60?? she could of been telling him stop!, let me off!! or something to that effect. I bet if you ask her she wanted no part in the pursuit. Should he be charged with kidnapping? no, but i bet she wasnt a willing perticipant in the pursuit and thats why NO CRIMINAL CHARGES were filled against her, just the operator of the motorcycle.