A man was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault after striking three people in a Denver crosswalk early Sunday morning, dragging one of the pedestrians down the street, according to court records.
Read more High-potency cannabis fuels state debates over psychosis and addiction risks
Cesario Serrato, 56, left a parking lot at 2000 Larimer Street, drove across two lanes of traffic and turned right at 20th Street, striking the three pedestrians, according to his arrest affidavit. Investigators believe Serrato ran the red light when turning, Denver Police Sergeant Katherine McCandless said in an email to The Denver Post.
Denver officers responded to the crash in the 1300 block of 20th Street — on the edge of the city’s Union Station and Five Points neighborhood — at 2:23 a.m. Sunday, according to the affidavit.
Two pedestrians were thrown from the crosswalk and one was pulled under Serrato’s car, police wrote in the affidavit. Officers and bystanders had to lift Serrato’s car to free the pedestrian, who was dragged half a block before Serrato stopped in traffic, according to the affidavit. The three victims have not been publicly identified, and updates on their conditions were not available on Tuesday.
Serrato, who was driving with a revoked license at the time of the crash, “appeared to be intoxicated,” the affidavit stated. He had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, trouble understanding instructions and the “strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath,” police said.
Paramedics took Serrato to the hospital because of his “extreme level of intoxication,” police wrote in the affidavit. Serrato was later arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault, a felony, court records show.
As of Tuesday morning, Serrato’s next court date had not yet been scheduled. He was being held at that time on a $50,000 cash-only bail at Denver’s downtown detention center, according to inmate records.
Read more ‘Biker’ Jim Pittenger exits Avanti, citing health issues
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
Read more Colorado receives FDA permission to import cheaper drugs — including Ozempic — from Canada
