The Fort Lupton Police Department released body camera and dashcam video on Friday showing Yareni Rios-Gonzalez inside the patrol car that was hit by a train. Rios-Gonzalez is hospitalized with multiple injuries but is expected to survive, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations said.
The newly released video of the September 16 incident shows Rios-Gonzalez — a suspect in a road rage case — asking why she was pulled over as she is handcuffed and put into a cruiser which was parked on railroad tracks.
Rios-Gonzalez is left in the vehicle alone as officers search her truck. Minutes later, a train horn is heard and officers express alarm as the train barrels into the cruiser, crumpling the side and pushing it dozens of feet into a field. Officers can be heard on the video calling for medical assistance.
The vehicle that was hit was a cruiser from the Platteville Police Department, which was assisting with the traffic stop. Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer said the officer who parked on the railroad tracks has been placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation by the CBI. Neither police department has identified any of the officers involved in the incident.
Fort Lupton police say the case they were pursuing against Rios-Gonzalez has been referred to the Weld County District Attorney, but no charges had been filed as of Friday evening. The DA’s office did not respond to a request for information on the status of their investigation.