Texas: Man Jailed after striking officer

Louis Delagarza, 22, of Temple, was in the Bell County Jail Monday charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without a license after a local police officer was struck by an SUV while investigating a disturbance. Additional charges were pending Monday, police said.

The officer, whose name wasn’t released, was struck as police investigated a disturbance at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of South 43rd Street. Officers spotted the SUV about a block away, heard a man yelling and then heard a muffled popping sound, which at the time they believed may have been a gunshot, Cpl. Christopher Wilcox said Monday.

Officers tried to stop the SUV, but the driver, after hesitating momentarily as police approached, made a sharp turn directly into one of the officers, Wilcox said. The SUV struck the officer in the lower leg, he said. The officer was taken to Scott & White Hospital and was released after treatment for bruising.

The SUV was later found unoccupied in the 900 block of South 43rd and Delagarza was arrested nearby without incident, Wilcox said. His bonds totaled $8,000 Monday.