BATON ROUGE – Three Baton Rouge police officers were seriously injured in an overnight accident where a person believed to be getting drunk went into a separate location and beat the officers.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. Saturday on I-10 East, near College Drive.
Joseph White, 27, was arrested in connection with the crash, police told WBRZ Saturday morning. White is charged with drunk driving, reckless operation and a series of charges for negligence injuries related to hitting officers.
Police said White was driving erratically on I-10 eastbound before college. A group of police officers were investigating an accident on I-10 in the area. Officers and their police cruisers were in the left lane with flashing emergency lights due to the previous shipwreck. Police said White was at full speed and rushed to the scene of the crash and hit police officers and cruisers.
Two officers were hit by White’s vehicle and a third was injured after White’s vehicle crashed into the police cruiser while the officer was sitting inside the vehicle.
The two officers hit by the vehicle were seriously injured, police said. An officer suffered serious head injuries, police said. The other officer had a broken leg, compound fracture. According to a police report obtained by WBRZ, the officer injured inside the cruise had minor injuries to his legs.
The three officers were rushed to a hospital and are recovering, police said Saturday morning.
White was more than double the legal limit. Police said he had a .194 blood alcohol level.
White was also wanted for drug charges in the Shreveport area and will be detained for charging, police said.
East Baton Rouge mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome visited hospital officers and shortly thereafter issued a statement about the incident and its condition. The mayor said:
“Three officers from the Baton Rouge police department were seriously injured during the night after being hit by a drunk driver. This morning I visited the hospital where they were treated.
I am very optimistic and I am encouraged that they will soon follow the path to recovery.
Special thanks to the doctors and the medical team who take care of them. We pray for the officers and their families during this time. “
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