UPDATE: An officer accused of hitting two teenagers while trying to pass a car was fired, Gwinnett County officials said Tuesday.
ORIGINAL STORY:The Gwinnett County police officer who seriously injured a 16-year-old boy was trying to pass a car when his patrol car jumped a curb and hit the teen and his cousin, police said.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday, Officer Scott York was traveling westbound on Singleton Road “en route to a different pedestrian accident” when his car left the road and struck the pedestrians near Stonewood Drive, Gwinnett police Cpl. Michele Pihera said.
At the time of the accident on the four-lane road, York had his blue lights and sirens activated, Pihera said.
“The officer told the investigators that he traveled into the center turn lane in an attempt to pass another vehicle,” Pihera said.
But that vehicle started merging into the center lane “at the same time.”
That’s when the officer swerved to the opposite side of the road to avoid a collision, Pihera said.
But he lost control of the car and “entered into a critical speed yaw,” hitting Jose Coreas-Mejia and Joel Melendez-Coreas, Pihera said.
A “critical speed yaw” is an accident investigation term police use to describe “when tire marks aren’t going directly over one another,” Pihera said at a Monday news conference.
Coreas-Mejia, of Atlanta, remains at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville with serious injuries, Pihera said.
Melendez-Coreas, 18, of Norcross, was treated and released. But he was emotional when talking about the incident with Channel 2 Action News.
“I went to the ground, and I was under the car,” Melendez-Coreas said through an interpreter. “I managed to get up quickly and I looked for my cousin. He was bleeding from his nose, mouth and head.”
The patrol car also hit one silver and one black Honda Accord. The black Accord was pushed into a house and damaged an exterior wall in the 5700 block of Singleton Road, Pihera said.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the victims,” Pihera said. “As officers, we routinely investigate incidents involving others. It’s never easy investigating an incident involving one of our own.”
Whether the department or York will be held liable has not been determined, but the department’s insurance policy will pay for the necessary repairs to the home and cars damaged in the accident. The Gwinnett County Police Department is also “looking to take care of medical expenses” for Coreas-Mejia.
York, who graduated from the Gwinnett police academy in April 2016, was put on paid administrative leave. He has had one previous accident on duty, and he was determined not to be at fault, Pihera said.
Gwinnett investigators are looking to see if any state or department policies were violated in the crash.
“The Gwinnett County Police Department is taking this case very seriously,” Pihera said. “The Accident Investigation Unit officers and supervisors will handle this investigation in the same manner that they handle all other AIU call-outs.”
If York is found to be at fault in the accident, criminal charges are possible. Police investigators are still determining fault in the accident, Pihera said.
Gwinnett County Police Department cadets receive “extensive driver training,” including for emergency situations, while they are in the police academy. Officers also undergo yearly training to ensure familiarity with proper procedures, Pihera said.
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