HPD cruiser crashes into drunk driving suspect that ran stop sign, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer suffered minor injuries Saturday when he slammed into another car that ran a stop sign, authorities said.

It happened around 11 p.m. on Fuqua near Palmhill in southeast Houston.

The officer was eastbound on Fuqua when the driver of the other vehicle rolled through the intersection, according to Houston police. Officers told ABC13 the driver was 'very intoxicated' when the crash happened.

"So, this person is going to go to jail," said Sean Teare, who is the Harris County District Attorney's chief of vehicular crimes. "This person is likely going to have a DWI conviction on their record for the rest of their life. But thankfully, it's not intoxication manslaughter or intoxication assault of the police officer, because our officer here on scene did not suffer any significant injuries, which is the real story here."

Before jail, the driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with injuries, but their condition wasn't immediately known.

The crash was the latest in a series of incidents involving law enforcement vehicles this year.

Last month, five Montgomery County deputy constables were injured when a driver slammed into a deputy's cruiser on the Eastex Freeway, causing a chain-reaction crash.

A Harris County sheriff's deputy suffered injuries in a crash with a suspected drunk driver in northwest Harris County on Feb. 27.