But no charges have been filed yet stemming from the crash Thursday night about six blocks south of Busch Stadium.
By Heather Ratcliffe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A Manchester man who critically injured an officer Thursday evening when he crashed into a police car had a blood-alcohol level that was more than twice the legal limit, police said Friday.
St. Louis Officer Matthew Browning, 25, lost both his legs in the crash on Seventh Street near Lebanon Drive. He was still in critical condition Friday.
Browning, who was helping in an arrest, was standing between two unmarked police cars when a pickup struck the rear vehicle.
The impact severed Browning’s legs under the knees. Doctors were unable to reattach them, St. Louis Police Chief Joseph Mokwa said.
“He’s a strong young man with a positive attitude,” Mokwa said. “His spirits are remarkably high, given the situation.”
Authorities said they believe the driver, who was arrested and released pending charges, was coming from the Cardinals baseball game nearby. Charges against him were pending because police need to complete the accident reconstruction before forwarding the case to prosecutors.
Another officer, Ed Brown, was treated for minor injuries. Mokwa said several other officers had to jump away from the crash to avoid injuries.
Mokwa said the driver, 29, refused to cooperate with officers. They obtained a warrant to take a blood sample.
The incident began about 8:30 p.m. when officers with the anti-crime task force were in the area and witnessed an armed robbery on the street.
Police arrested a man, 33, and a woman, 26. The woman was believed to be an accomplice in the robbery.
Browning, a patrol officer in the 4th District, responded to the scene to help in the arrest. He and other officers were putting the suspect into a police van when the crash happened about 9:20 p.m. Browning was standing between two unmarked police cars parked at the curb of Seventh Street heading southbound.
“This really demonstrates the real tragedy of what can happen if someone abuses alcohol and gets behind the wheel of a car,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.
Even so, Slay stopped short of calling for any extra steps for curbing alcohol abuse at Busch Stadium, named after the largest beer distributor in the world.
“I can tell you this - they do have a last call at the ballpark, which I think is a good one,” Slay said. “I know that there is a law that you’re not supposed to serve alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated.”
Initial results indicate the pickup driver’s blood-alcohol level was more than two times the legal limit, which is 0.08 percent. Mokwa said he didn’t want to reveal the exact blood-alcohol level because the investigation was not completed.
Browning, who has been with the department five years, was still on a respirator Friday morning, Mokwa said.
Browning’s mother, Sharon Browning, is a civilian supervisor in the Police Department’s record office. Mokwa said the department was hurting like a family.
“I expect that his career as a police officer will be over,” Mokwa said. “It’s just a real tragedy.”