Drunk Driver Crashes Into Police Cruiser, Elderly Driver's Car: Officials

BURTONSVILLE, MD — A Laurel man is charged with drunk driving after he reportedly crashed into a Montgomery County Police cruiser that was helping an elderly driver whose car had broken down on the side of the rode.

The collision happened about 11 p.m. Saturday as two off-duty Montgomery County Police officers were providing traffic control at the Idara Jaferia Islamic Center on Spencerville Road (Route 198) near Burtonsville Drive. An 84-year-old woman approached the officers and said her car’s engine had stopped and would not restart; her Pontiac Sunfire was on the side of eastbound Spencerville Road.

Authorities say one officer walked the woman back to her car while the other officer positioned his marked patrol cruiser behind the disabled vehicle and turned on the patrol car’s emergency lights. The woman sat in the passenger seat of her car while the officers requested a tow truck.

As they waited, a 2006 Kia Sedona eastbound on Spencerville Road allegedly rear-ended the patrol car behind the disabled vehicle with the officer seated in the driver’s seat of his cruiser. The impact of the collision pushed the police car into the older woman's disabled vehicle.

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Fire and Rescue personnel responded to the scene treat everyone involved in the crash. None of the victims required ambulance transport.

The driver of the Sedona — Pedro Gaona Vera, 56, of Laurel — was arrested and charged by police for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Gaona Vera consented to a breath test which indicated a blood alcohol content of .11; the legal alcohol limit in Maryland is .08.

Police urge residents who choose to drink alcohol to choose a sober driver for their ride home.

»Photo of red Kia Sedona driven by accused drunk driver, and damaged police cruiser, courtesy of Montgomery County Police