Police say a Levittown man was drunk when he hit a Bristol Township police cruiser earlier this month.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Joshua Berrios, 24, is accused of having a .15 blood alcohol level when he slammed his tan 2000 Nissan Maxima into a patrol car driven by Officer Paul Aita on December 1 at 2:23 a.m. on New Falls Road in the area of Magnolia Pass.
Advertisements
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Aita made contact with Berrios after the strike and the 24-year-old said he was sorry, asked if the officer was okay and admitted he was drunk. Police also said Berrios asked officers just to arrest him and lock him up.
Berrios, who said he was uninjured, failed two field sobriety tests at the scene, police said.
Berrios told an officer investigating the accident that he was “speeding” and couldn’t stop in time to prevent the crash, according to court papers.
Advertisements
Upon inspection, police said they discovered Berrios’ insurance was expired.
Police transported Berrios to Lower Bucks Hospital so he could get blood drawn. As he approached, he began complaining of various pain and medical staff met the patrol car when it arrived, police said.
Advertisements
Berrios, according to court papers, apologized for the accident at the hospital and again asked if Aita was alright.
The police car suffered rear-end damage and a flat tire. Berrios’s Nissian suffered heavy front-end damage, authorities said.
Paperwork filed by police did not list whether the officer suffered any injuries.
Advertisements
Berrios was charged late this week with DUI, DUI with high rate of intoxication, driving under suspension and other offenses. The charges were filed via mail summons.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
