Video shows Rowlett officer pulling suspected drunk driver from burning car after crash into patrol unit
Body camera video released by the Rowlett Police Department shows the moment an officer pulled a suspected drunk driver from a burning car after that driver plowed into the officer's patrol unit.
The incident happened after the Rowlett officer was called to assist other North Texas police officers at a scene involving a man jumping from a bridge.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a Garland officer patrolling near I-30 and Bass Pro Drive area noticed a vehicle driving erratically, accelerating, slowing down and swerving across all eastbound lanes, the department said in a news release.
The officer saw the vehicle stop in the roadway and then reverse, raising concerns for the driver's wellbeing, the release said.
When the officer activated his emergency lights to investigate, the driver sped away eastbound on I-30. While the vehicle was still moving, the driver got out, ran and jumped off the bridge into Lake Ray Hubbard. The vehicle stopped after colliding with a barrier, police said.
With help from the Dallas Police Department's water rescue team and the Rowlett Police Department, the driver's body was retrieved from the lake. Police later identified him as 30-year-old Jose Andrew Ybarra, of Mt. Vernon, Texas.
Rowlett Police Officer Issac Gorskikh was helping with traffic control related to the incident around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, when he was struck from behind by a suspected drunk driver traveling at high speed.
Gorskikh was disoriented from the crash, but was able to get out of his vehicle. The car that hit him was on fire, but Gorskikh saw that the driver was unresponsive, police said.
Body camera video shows officers unsuccessfully trying to open the doors of the car, which was filling with smoke. Gorskikh then broke the driver's side window, pulled the suspect from the burning car and moved him to safety.
Gorskikh was treated at a hospital and released. Police said it was the second incident where a suspected drunk driver plowed into Gorskikh's patrol unit while he was assisting Garland police.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Lyn Alan Smith, remains in the hospital and is now in custody for intoxication assault, Rowlett police said.
"That officer did not think twice before he reacted. His first responder instincts kicked in. He did not think about, 'Hey, this is the suspect that just struck my vehicle that injured me.' He went straight ahead and did what he had to do," said Rowlett Police Cpl. Jaqueline Vergara.
Gorskikh, 28, is a U.S. Army veteran who joined the police academy last year. He'd only been out on solo patrol for two months when the severe crash happened.
"He is married, and he does have a baby girl," Vergara said.
Gorskikh is expected to make a full recovery after saving a life with his brave actions.