Durham K9 officer hospitalized after crash, driver charged with DWI
A K9 officer with the Durham Police Department was injured in a Wednesday night crash involving a suspected drunk driver.
Posted — UpdatedK9 Officer B.K. Gardner was in his patrol car, a 2016 Dodge Charger, when he was struck by another car before 11 p.m. on Guess Road, police confirm.
The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that hit Gardner was driven by Byron Cinto-Lopez, 33, who officers say pulled out from a stop sign on Peppertree Street into the path of the police car.
Police said Cinto-Lopez fled the area on foot but was later arrested.
Cinto-Lopez was charged with driving while impaired, felony hit-and-run, no operator’s license aggravated felony serious injury by vehicle, driving while license revoked for DWI and failure to yield right of way. He was placed in Durham County Jail under a $7,500 bond.
Gardner remains in the hospital Thursday with non-life-threatening injuries. His dog, K9 Choco, was not in the car at the time of the crash.
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