News & Current Affairs

Colorado police release video of police car with Woman inside hit by a train

By Azeezat Okunlola | Sep 26, 2022

Videos released by Colorado police show when a train collides with a police car, inside which a suspect remained handcuffed.

A Video from Yareni Rios Gonzalez's (the detained) body camera and the police car's dashcam were published on Friday by the Fort Lupton Police Department. The Colorado Bureau of Investigations has reported that Ms Rios-Gonzalez is in the hospital recovering from several injuries.

The recently released video from September 16 shows Ms Rios-Gonzalez, questioning police about why she was stopped before being detained and placed in a cruiser stationed on railroad tracks, yards behind her truck.

While the police searched Ms Rios-Gonzalez's truck, they left her alone in the car.  A few minutes later, a train horn was heard and the officers watched as the train plowed into their cruiser, crumpling the side and pushing it several meters into a field. The video shows officers requesting an ambulance.

Saturday, Ms Rios-Gonzalez's attorney, Paul Wilkinson, told CNN that his client was "desperate" to escape the car as the train drew near.

 

"When she was in the back of the car, she was able to see the train coming," Mr Wilkinson said. "She was frantically trying to escape, trying to open the doors, but she was handcuffed."

Mr Wilkinson said that Mr Rios-Gonzalez made an independent attempt to exit the police cruiser, yelling for help.

"I don't know if they just couldn't hear her or if they were too busy searching her car, but she saw it coming and prepared for the worst," he said. "And as you can imagine, lost consciousness and woke up at the hospital. She's obviously very upset."

Mr Wilkinson disclosed that Mr Rios-Gonzalez had nine fractured ribs, a broken arm, shattered teeth, and head injuries. She was still in the hospital as of Saturday.

The Platteville police officer who parked on the rails has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an CBI, said Police Chief Carl Dwyer. None of the policemen engaged in the event have been publicly identified by the police department.

The case against Ms Rios-Gonzalez, according to the Fort Lupton police, has been sent to the Weld County District Attorney's Office.

According to the spokesperson of Weld County District Attorney's Office, Krista Henery, who spoke with CNN on Saturday, "everything is still being examined and no charges have been filed for the suspect/victim or any officers."

According to the statutes of the state of Colorado, any conduct on the part of an officer of the Colorado police force that is unethical, illegal, or in violation of human rights under the U.S. Constitution constitutes police misconduct.

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