In Colorado, police bodycam video reveals the moment a freight train plowed into a police cruiser.
But it gets worse: at the time of impact, a woman in handcuffs was inside the vehicle.
The incident began around 7:30 p.m. on September 16, when Platteville Police Department officers pulled over 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez.
The officers were responding to an earlier report of a road rage incident that involved a gun.
Bodycam footage shows police apprehending the woman and escorting her to the back set of the patrol car.
While the woman remained in the patrol car, police took time to inspect her pickup truck for any weapons.
Meanwhile, in the background a train horn can be heard growing louder and louder.
Suddenly, the video footage captures the lights of the train quickly approaching the police cruiser before it violently slams into it at full speed.
The officers immediately rush to the SUV that has now been severely damaged by the train.
“Get us medical emergent. The suspect was in the vehicle that was hit by the train,” a cop frantically exclaimed into her radio.
TRAIN HITS OCCUPIED POLICE CAR
VIDEO: With a suspect detained in the back seat, a police car is crushed by a fast-moving train in Weld County
Suspect was handcuffed in the back seat as the train blared a horn leading up to the crash. I will have more on @CBSNewsColorado 4/5/6p pic.twitter.com/P0w3hd5Bs2
— Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) September 23, 2022
Thankfully, the woman handcuffed inside the SUV survived the collision although she suffered multiple serious injuries and had to be hospitalized.
“Officers cleared the suspect vehicle to determine if anyone else was in the vehicle,” the Fort Lupton Police Department said in a statement. “Within a matter of seconds, the Platteville’s police vehicle, which contained the female detainee, was struck by a northbound train. Fort Lupton Officers immediately summoned medical assistance and began life-sustaining measures.”
One of the officers, who remains unnamed has been placed on paid administrative leave following the incident.
The Denver Post reported, “The Fort Lupton Police Department is investigating the original road rage incident. The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash between the train and the police car, and CBI is investigating how Rios-Gonzalez sustained injuries while in police custody.”
The entire video footage can be seen here:
