On the morning of Thursday, November 14th, a Texarkana Police patrol vehicle was struck by an intoxicated driver while the officer was working at the scene of an earlier crash on westbound I-30. The patrol unit, which belonged to Officer Kevin Buck, was parked across the highway to divert traffic following a rollover crash up the road that had blocked all lanes.
At the time of the incident, Officer Buck was sitting inside his vehicle when 30-year-old Matthew Patterson ignored flashing lights and warnings and crashed into the side of the patrol unit. Despite the impact, Officer Buck was not seriously injured. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and has since been released and is recovering.
Patterson was arrested on charges of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and was booked into the Bi-State Jail.