Colorado police released disturbing footage showing an officer abandoning a woman handcuffed inside a patrol car moments before the vehicle was struck by a train earlier this month.
Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, sustained nine broken ribs, a fractured sternum, as well as back and head injuries, her attorney Paul Wilkinson told CNN on Saturday. Rios-Gonzalez, who also underwent surgery on a broken arm, remains hospitalized, but she’s expected to survive.
According to the New York Times, Fort Lupton Police Department and the Platteville Police Department responded to a call regarding a road rage incident involving a gun on Sept. 16. In a statement released via Facebook, the Fort Lupton Police Department said that after assisting with a “high-risk vehicle stop,” a female suspect—presumably Rios-Gonzalez—was detained and taken away in a Platteville police car, which was parked on railroad tracks.
“Within a matter of seconds, the Platteville’s police vehicle, which contained the female detainee, was struck by a northbound train,” the statement continued.
“When she was in the back of the car, she was able to see the train coming,” Wilkinson told CNN. “She was frantically trying to escape, trying to open the doors, but she was handcuffed.”
Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer said the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident, and the officer allegedly responsible for the accident has been placed on a paid administrative leave. Neither department has disclosed the identity of the officer involved.
Fort Lupton has referred the case involving Rios-Gonzalez to the Weld County District Attorney, to which a rep said “everything is still being investigated and no charges have been filed for the suspect/victim or any officers.”
