A police crash at a very busy intersection could land a police officer in some trouble. Witnesses say he ran a red with no lights or siren.
The driver of the car that was hit by the Albuquerque Police cruiser says it was like the officer just came out of nowhere.
“The cop just like almost didn’t even see him, he just went right in there,” a witness said.
It was Sunday, July 15 when Albuquerque Police Officer Sean Callinan was involved in a crash at the intersection of Coors and Montano.
“That silver car is where I was and the light was red and he took off this way, missed a couple of cars,” Officer Callinan said.
He claims a driver ran a red light and he proceeded to chase it, turning on the red arrow southbound from Coors to Montano.
“I turned my lights on and as I got on the radio I came through here and that vehicle hit me,” Officer Callinan explained.
Callinan then broadsided a driver who was heading north on Montano through a green light.
“He was coming straight and he had the green,” Officer Callinan said.
“You had a solid green light?” the investigating officer asked the driver.
“Yeah, I had a solid green light,” the driver said. “I was going straight, I seen a car turn and I kept on going and I don’t know. I felt a bang.”
Officer Callinan claims he had his emergency lights on, but the driver and witnesses say otherwise.
That would be a violation of APD’s standard operating procedures. According to the orders posted online, when running a red to pursue another driver, an officer must have their lights or sirens on and must make sure it’s safe — something that didn’t seem to happen in this crash.
APD’s accident review board will look at the crash to see if the officer was at fault. If so, his punishment could depend on his driving history.
Officer Callinan was hired in 2016. APD would not provide details on his driving record.
