An Elk Grove, CA, police officer died Friday after being hit head-on by a vehicle on Hwy. 99. Investigators believe that alcohol may have played a factor in the crash.
Around 5:13 a.m. Friday, CHP dispatch received the call of a wrong-way driver traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Hwy. 99. While CHP units were headed to the area, a 911 caller said the driver was involved in a crash with a police motorcycle officer, according to a statement from CHP – South Sacramento.
Officers at the scene of the crash performed life-saving measures on the officer until Sacramento Fire Department arrived on the scene and transported the officer to UC Davis Medical Center, CBS reports.
Jermain J. Walton, 31, of Sacramento was the driver of the 2016 Dodge Charger that hit the officer, officials say. The CHP says he was reportedly stopped while “walking away from the scene.” He allegedly showed signs of intoxication and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage at the time of the crash. Walton was later booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for several felony DUI-related charges.
The fallen officer's name has not been released.
