Video posted to social media has witnesses questioning whether or not Council member Luis Velez could have been ingesting on the time of the accident. He denies wrongdoing and has not been charged with a criminal offense. Police say they’re conscious of the incident and are investigating
Heated phrases hit the ground at a metropolis council assembly in Paterson, New Jersey, Tuesday night time — attendees’ fury directed at Metropolis Councilman Luis Velez.
Police say they’re investigating a automobile accident from early Monday involving Velez. Video posted to social media has witnesses questioning whether or not he could have been ingesting on the time of the T-bone crash.
Knolaisha Washington was driving the opposite automobile concerned. She took video on her cellphone after the automobile accident on twelfth Avenue and Madison.
“He was staggering, he just looked drunk,” Washington claimed. “He was talking drunk and slurring.”
Velez denied ingesting the night time earlier than the accident. He says he was out celebrating Mom’s Day along with his spouse and alleges Washington hit him. He claims if he appeared out of it, it is as a result of the airbag hit his face and he felt dizzy. He advised officers as a lot when he received out of his automobile on the scene, warning them he may be off, he stated.
Based on Velez, officers did not give him a breathalyzer take a look at as a result of “there was no need.”
Regina Washington, the mom of the opposite driver concerned within the accident, known as Velez a “damn liar.”
“That’s what I think. He’s a liar,” Regina Washington stated on the assembly. “I would like to see him put in handcuffs before he kills somebody’s child.”
Regina Washington factors to surveillance video that she says reveals the councilman blow a crimson mild and hit her daughter — not the opposite means round. Different video allegedly reveals Velez urinating on the street after cops arrive.
Velez stated he had no touch upon that.
“I suffer diabetes and there was no bathroom,” Velez says. “I was not exposing myself.”
Fellow council member Michael Jackson expenses Velez ought to have volunteered to endure a breathalyzer and toxicology take a look at, “but he is a liar.”
In a press release, Velez stated he was cooperating absolutely with investigators.
“I am fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation, but I want to be clear: any claims circulating on social media are completely false, and I urge residents to allow law enforcement to complete their investigation,” Velez stated within the assertion. “As a council member, I believe no one is above the law, including myself, and traffic laws exist to protect everyone. I remain committed to transparency and accountability as the facts unfold. I will continue to pray for all those involved in this unfortunate accident.”
In Paterson, the lawyer normal’s workplace controls the police division. They stated in a press release that police had been conscious of the incident and had been investigating. Velez has not been charged with a criminal offense.
