A drunk Colorado man struck three women in a crosswalk and dragged one of them for “half a block” before finally coming to a stop in traffic after running a red light, police say.
“He had no intention of stopping,” a witness told local Fox affiliate KDVR. “I don’t even know if he was aware of what had just happened, because he continued [driving].”
Cesario Serrato, 56, faces expected charges of vehicular assault and DUI in connection with the early Sunday morning crash, according to police officials.
He allegedly hit three women crossing near 20th and Larimer streets around 2:30 a.m. as nearby bars were closing for the night, KDVR reports. Bystanders captured part of the crash on video, with footage showing people rushing to lift Serrato’s car off the victim he allegedly dragged.
“We were waiting there to cross the street, and the females were right next to us, and I saw the vehicle coming at us at a high rate of speed,” the witness told KDVR. “That’s when I grabbed my sister and somebody that was in front of me and pulled them back, and unfortunately, I couldn’t react fast enough to pull the females out of the way, so I saw them get struck.”
Police say Serrato ran a red light before hitting the three victims, who ranged in age from 19 to 24. A probable cause statement alleges that one of the women “was pulled underneath the vehicle” Serrato was driving and “dragged approximately half a block,” according to KDVR.
“Officers and bystanders had to lift the defendant’s vehicle from the passenger side to free [the victim] from underneath,” the statement says.
Two of the women were “thrown” by the impact, while the third, identified as a 21-year-old, was dragged. Serrato allegedly displayed an “extreme level of intoxication” following the crash and was taken into custody.
“I chased after him, not knowing that she was actually under the car at first, and so he stopped at the next light, only because there was a couple of people in front of him,” witness Xavier Thomas told local ABC affiliate KMGH.
Thomas recalled hearing people screaming, “She’s under the car,” after Serrato finally came to a stop.
“All of the cops came together, and we lifted the car to get her out, and thank God we got her out in time, because we don’t know how long she would have been under there if that light was green,” he said.
Court records reveal that Serrato was driving with a revoked license and carries a history of traffic offenses, including two incidents within the past 10 years in which he allegedly drove while impaired.
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