EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Court documents reveal that an El Paso Fire lieutenant was on his phone and had a couple of drinks before a crash earlier this month that seriously injured another person in East El Paso.
El Paso Fire Lieutenant Manuel Esquivel Alvarez is facing a charge of intoxication assault with a vehicle, causing serious bodily injuries after crashing into a pink three-wheel motorcycle on Aug. 19 at the 8000 block of Gateway East.
Police responded just after 5 p.m. that Tuesday to the scene of the crash, where the victim, Victor Manuel Estrada, was transported with serious injuries consisting of a fractured pelvis and several broken ribs, according to court documents.
Court documents say that Alvarez told police that he had two or three tall beers and was coming from Cabo Joe’s and was on his way home.
An officer at the scene smelled an odor of alcohol coming from Alvarez, and he seemed to be off balance and had bloodshot eyes, according to court documents.
Alvarez also told the officer that he had some chest pain and anxiety and wanted to know if Estrada was okay, court documents said.
The officer asked Alvarez what happened, and he told the officer that he was trying to go home and that while he was driving, he was using his phone. He told the officer that traffic slowed down all of a sudden, and he crashed into Estrada, according to court documents.
The officer asked Alvarez if he felt okay to be driving after drinking at Cabo Joe’s, to which he said yes. The officer asked him on a scale of 0 to 10 what he would rate himself in terms of being intoxicated, and Alvarez said 4, according to court documents.
Alvarez agreed to perform a standardized field sobriety test at the scene to which he failed. He was then placed under arrest and was transported to a local hospital due to the chest pains and anxiety he was experiencing, according to court documents.
At the hospital, Alvarez provided a voluntary blood sample and was medically cleared. He was then transported to the Mission Valley Regional Command center for processing.
Alvarez was charged and booked into the El Paso County Jail under a $15,000 bond. Jail records show that Alvarez was released on Wednesday, Aug. 20, after posting bond.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission launched an investigation into Cabo Joe’s, where Alvarez was at before the crash.
As of last week, the City of El Paso confirmed Alvarez was still employed with the Fire Department.
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