SELMA – A family headed to church was struck by a drunk driver who ran through a red light and collided with their SUV, police said. The collision happened Sunday at 9:04am, on Buffalo Road and W. Oak Street, in the Selma city limits.
Jesus Torres, 48, of Selma and his family were headed to worship service when their 2017 Chevy SUV was t-boned by a 2007 Mazda passenger car than ran through a red light at the intersection. The SUV was pushed off the roadway into a power pole, causing the pole to break and power lines to fall across the SUV.
Torres and his family, a 42 year-old woman and 23 months old son, were trapped inside the SUV.
The driver of the Mazda, Sergio Julian Patino, age 28, of Garner, and a passenger, Billy Sanchez, age 28, were also trapped in their car. A Good Samaritan came upon the wreck and pulled on the driver’s door, allowing Patino to get out of his mangled vehicle. Upon exiting the car, he reportedly removed the license plate, pulled his passenger from the car, and attempted to flee on foot.
A Selma police officer arrived and was directed by an eyewitness to the two fleeing men. At gunpoint, the men were detained and handcuffed.
Selma Fire responded and removed Torres and his family from the SUV. The three family members were transported to Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield with non-life threatening injuries.
Patino and Sanchez were evaluated by EMS but declined transport to the hospital.
Selma Police said Patino registered 0.17 on the Breathalyzer, above the legal limit of 0.08. He was charged with felony hit and run with injury, no operator’s license, resisting arrest, and driving while impaired. Patino was confined at the Johnston County Detention Center under a $50,000 bond.
Damage to the power pole and utility equipment was estimated at $50,000. Both vehicles were totaled in the crash. A parked vehicle struck by debris sustained approximately $250 in damage.
Call Ice
Send that dumba** back. I’m Latino but don’t need this type of POS here. I’m all for all honest hard working people because I know some. But there’s always that sour *** Apple.
Just say it it its true…were they illegally in this country? Does the officer ask for any other ID?
This is the elephant in the room that the media doesn’t want to acknowledge. Anyone can look at the statistics themselves. This is by no means anything against good honest Latinos because they are suffering from the illegal invasion too.
Thank God Jesus Torres and his family will be ok. God was looking out for them. As far as Patino goes, why even have the EMS look at him. If he died no big loss, after all when he got behind the wheel of the car, he did not care who he could have killed.