Platteville police officers placed Yareni Rios-Gonzalez in a police cruiser that was parked on some railroad tracks in Fort Lupton, Colorado on Sept. 16. A train hit the squad car, while the police search edthe 20-year-old’s vehicle for a weapon they never found, reports NBC News:
Rios-Gonzalez was detained on suspicion of felony menacing, the bureau said, and taken to a Greeley hospital. She remained hospitalized with multiple injuries Monday and is expected to survive, a spokesperson for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.
In response to an inquiry Monday, Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer said the officer involved from his department has been placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation is completed.
Fort Lupton police are investigating the road rage report, while the Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said it is investigating the woman’s injury while she was in police custody.
Ian Farrell, an associate professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, said the officer who parked the car on the tracks could be charged with reckless endangerment.