WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado police officer whose patrol car was hit by a train while a woman was detained in the backseat Friday night has been placed on leave, the police chief has confirmed.
Investigators said the officer, who hasn’t been identified, stopped 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez of Greeley in connection to an alleged road rage incident involving a gun in nearby Fort Lupton.
Rios-Gonzalez stopped just beyond a set of railroad tracks on U.S. 85 north of Platteville, with the officer parked behind her on the railroad tracks.
When two other officers from Fort Lupton arrived, they detained Rios-Gonzalez on suspicion of felony menacing and put her in the back of the first officer’s car.
“While the officers cleared the suspect vehicle as part of the investigation, a train traveling northbound struck the [officer’s] patrol car,” the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.
Rios-Gonzalez was taken to a nearby hospital with unknown injuries. Police initially reported that she had been seriously hurt but was expected to survive her injuries. An update on her condition hasn’t been released.
A number of agencies are now investigating the incident, including the Fort Lupton Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, and CBI.
Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer said Monday that the involved officer is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
“The Town of Platteville continues to work cooperatively with CBI and CSP during their investigation regarding this incident,” Dwyer told Nexstar’s KDVR.