An Edmonton city police officer faces a long list of drinking and driving charges after the BMW he was driving early yesterday morning allegedly ran a red light and smashed into the side of a pickup truck, trapping the driver inside as it burst into flames.
Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, the off-duty officer and three passengers were travelling south on 75 Street, when the vehicle allegedly blew through a red light at an intersection on an overpass above Whitemud Drive.
At the same time, an eastbound Ford pickup truck took a left turn at the intersection through a green light. The BMW smashed into the driver’s side of the truck, causing it to flip on its side and burst into flames.
Three occupants inside the truck were able to get out quickly, but the 18-year-old driver was left trapped inside. Within seconds, bystanders at the scene rushed to the man’s aid, flipped the truck back on its wheels, and pulled the man to safety.
“It’s an amazing feat to see people respond so quickly,” said Edmonton Police Services spokeswoman Karen Carlson. “It’s incredible that the injuries suffered were not more serious than they were.”
Douglas Kurtis Brown, 29, a three-year veteran of the Edmonton Police Service, has been charged with three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and one count of driving with a blood alcohol level over 0.08.
Brown works as a constable in the Downtown Division. He has been suspended from his duties with pay.
“These are charges that we take very seriously,” Carlson said. “These are charges that were laid without hesitation.”
–victoria.handysides@metronews.ca
