Slow down, move over and yield for emergency vehicles.
Oh, and please, please don't drive drunk.
Yesterday afternoon just after 4 p.m., we had a scary moment for two of our officers. They were on their way to another scene at a local middle school where a fight had occurred, and one student was being threatened with a knife.
These are the types of calls that necessitate lights and sirens. We need to get there to keep kids safe.
But, our officers didn’t make it because 32-year-old Aurora resident Anthony Robinson got behind the wheel intoxicated and did not yield to our officers.
As they were clearing the intersection at South Peoria Street and East Yale Avenue, Robinson T-boned our patrol vehicle, causing it to overturn onto two other vehicles.
Robinson initially attempted to flee, but his vehicle wouldn't get him far. We found him less than a block away and took him into custody. Inside his vehicle we found an empty bottle of liquor and drug paraphernalia.
We don't share this video for the scare factor; we share this video to remind everyone of how important it is to yield for our patrol vehicles. When you see lights and sirens activated, it's for a good reason.
Thankfully, both officers were seen for minor injuries and have since been released from the hospital. Oh and the call they were responding to yesterday? We subsequently located and arrested the teen involved in the fight.
Robinson was arrested on probable cause of driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, and driving without insurance.
And a special thanks to those good samartians who stopped to help our officers, we are so grateful.
[Media Description: City camera view of officers unmarked patrol vehicle being hit by a white sedan.]