DUI Driver Crashes Into Police Cruiser, Construction Zone: Meriden PD

MERIDEN, CT — A driver is accused of crashing into a police cruiser and continuing through a construction zone while operating under the influence Wednesday night in Meriden, according to police.

The officer, who was in the police cruiser at the time of the crash, was taken to the hospital with injuries that police said weren’t life-threatening.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. when Meriden police officers were working traffic control on a private duty construction job on Lewis Avenue between Columbia Street and the exit from the Meriden Mall, according to police.

Police said an officer was stationed in the middle southbound lane of Lewis Avenue at the intersection of the I-691 exit ramp.

Francisco Pabon, 38, of Meriden, was driving a 2017 Ford Explorer south on Lewis Avenue from Kensington Avenue, according to police.

Police said Pabon rear-ended the parked police cruiser that had traffic cones around it and emergency lights flashing. The police cruiser was in park and police said it was pushed 20 feet.

“Pabon continued recklessly driving through the construction zone where six workers from Green Mountain Pipeline were working,” police wrote in a news release. “A pump trailer valued at $30,000 was over a manhole in the middle of Lewis Avenue pumping water from below. Pabon hit the pump trailer, disabling it with severe damage to the unit.

“Pabon continued southbound hitting a section of 6-inch bypass piping and jumped the curb onto the sidewalk. Once Pabon’s vehicle became disabled, he exited his vehicle and continued stumbling south on Lewis Avenue. Officers in the area caught Pabon in the area of Columbia Street and Lewis Avenue.”

Police said Pabon appeared intoxicated when he was taken into custody. He complained of minor injuries and was taken to MidState Medical Center, treated, and later released to police custody, according to police.

“As a result of the pup trailer and bypass piping being struck, water was sprayed all over Lewis Avenue that froze and made the road impassable,” police wrote. “The Meriden Highway Department had to respond and apply deicing agents.”

Pabon was arrested on charges of second-degree assault with a motor vehicle while intoxicated, assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, evading responsibility causing injury, evading responsibility causing property damage, operating without a license, and six counts of reckless endangerment. He was held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.

Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact the Meriden Police Department at 203-630-6201.