A suspected drunken driver crashed into police cars parked on Lake Otis Parkway for a separate traffic investigation early Saturday morning, ultimately causing a five-vehicle collision that left one officer injured, Anchorage police said in an alert.
At around 4 a.m. Saturday, three police officers responded to a report of a potentially impaired driver asleep in an SUV in a southbound lane of Lake Otis Parkway near Tudor Road. Two officers parked behind the SUV — one directly behind the SUV, and the second farther north to block the lane to other drivers as a safety measure — while another officer parked in front of the stopped vehicle, police said.
As they were investigating, the driver of a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox heading south on Lake Otis Parkway failed to switch lanes and crashed into both police vehicles parked behind the SUV, causing a “chain reaction collision,” police said. The police car directly behind the SUV struck the SUV, which then crashed into the police car in front. Police said the emergency lights for all three officers’ vehicles were on at the time of the crash.
An officer inside the vehicle directly behind the SUV was treated for minor injuries at the scene, police said. The other officers and the drivers of the SUV and the Equinox were not injured, according to the alert.
The Equinox’s driver, 21-year-old Danielle Agnus, was charged with operating under the influence, third-degree assault and passing an emergency vehicle, according to police. Agnus’ blood alcohol level was greater than three times the legal driving limit, police said.
Police determined that the driver of the stopped SUV was not impaired. An officer drove him home because his SUV had to be towed due to damage from the crash, according to police.