(Updated: 8:38 a.m.) Riverhead Police have charged a man with drunk driving after he struck a parked police vehicle in front of the Suffolk Theater at about 12:40 this morning, according to a police press release.
About 15 to 20 people attending the SantaCon event were standing near the crosswalk where the police SUV was parked when a 1995 Ford Explorer plowed into it. None of the bystanders were injured, police said. The police vehicle sustained “significant damage.”
The driver, Julio Xajap-Sanai, age 20, a Riverhead resident, fled the area but was chased by police and taken into custody at the corner of Griffing Avenue and Second Street, police said this morning. He was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and released to police.
Xajap-Sanai was not attending the SantaCon event, police said. Their investigation disclosed Xajap-Sanai was in possession of a forged U.S. Department of Homeland Security green card.
He was charged with DWI, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and multiple vehicle and traffic law violations. He was held for morning arraignment.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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