DAVENPORT, Fla. — A drunk driver with no license drove off after colliding into an officer's vehicle while driving on the wrong side of the road, according to the Davenport Police Department.
The crash happened just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday on South Boulevard, the department said in a news release. Police say 21-year-old Jose Enrique Hernandez-Gonzales hit the front passenger side of Davenport Officer Gerald Michel's patrol vehicle with his pick-up truck heading west in the eastbound lanes.
Michel swerved out of the way to avoid a head-on collision but was still struck by the vehicle.
Hernandez-Gonzales immediately drove away following the crash, police said. He was found at 1:44 a.m. on Highway 17/92 at Providence Boulevard in Davenport.
The left side of the truck hit the side of the police car, scraping the entire passenger side. Airbags appeared to be deployed in the police vehicle.
Hernandez-Gonzales acknowledged striking "something hard" with his vehicle but did not know what so he didn't stop to check, according to authorities. He also admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages at a family party shortly before leaving.
Hernandez-Gonzales was arrested by Davenport Police and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage. He was also charged by the Polk County Sheriff's Office with a DUI and operating a motor vehicle with no driver's license.
Michel and Hernandez-Gonzales emerged from the crash unharmed.
"We are grateful that Officer Michel was not injured by Hernandez-Gonzalez's selfish actions to drive while intoxicated, and on top of that, without a driver's license," Davenport Chief of Police Steve Parker said in a statement. "This incident certainly could have ended a lot worse.
"It's a very simple concept: don't drink and drive."
