Caught on camera.
Video obtained by NBC Connecticut Investigates through a Freedom of Information request showed a Hartford first responder crashed his truck into someone’s car and drove away.
Then when he’s pulled over, he appeared to ask for special treatment.
Hartford Fire Department Lt. Alcides Ortiz was driving on Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford around one o’clock in the morning on Jan. 9, when police said city surveillance video appeared to show him driving his pickup at what police called a high rate of speed.
The official police report said he simply “swiped the left driver side” of a Honda sedan.
The video showed a pickup knocked the Honda off the street and up onto a curb, and then the pickup drove off.
Witnesses rushed to help the victim, and police – on patrol blocks away – were there in seconds.
The victim, 23 year old Issac Torres of South Windsor, was dazed and bloodied after the crash. His injuries were not life threatening, but not trivial he said, including a big scar.
“…my shoulder needs to be, you know, helped. It’s been [in] a lot of pain,” Torres said.
Court documents said Ortiz must pay Torres’ verified out-of-pocket expenses.
Torres, who said he is trying to get full-time work as a truck driver, spoke with us after we had a chance to review city surveillance video of the incident with him.
“When I was hit I was knocked out of consciousness. So I didn’t see the guy coming,” Torres said.
Police said in their report they first noticed the off-duty lieutenant Ortiz a few blocks away, attempting a burnout with his tires and going the wrong direction down a pair of one-way streets. Then, city surveillance cameras captured his pickup truck slamming into the Honda sedan.
Within minutes of being pulled over, Ortiz repeatedly told officers he was a firefighter. Bodycam video showed him telling officers, “Hey you gotta chill out, I’m a firefighter.”
Not long after that, police bodycam video showed Ortiz telling officers, “I’m one of you guys.”
When we mentioned that to Torres, he said, “That doesn’t sound like you’re one of them. If you’re leaving a scene, and they’re responding to the scene, as you’re trying to run from it.”
The police report said at one point, Ortiz also cursed at one of the officers on scene.
Hartford Fire Chief Rodney Barco declined to answer our questions about Ortiz on camera, but he did confirm Ortiz is currently on active duty, and that he was disciplined following the hit-and-run arrest and guilty plea.
The chief did not say what the discipline was, when it occurred or for how long.
We tried talking with Ortiz about this following one of his court appearances earlier this year. He declined comment.
We spoke with him again briefly via phone more recently and he said, “There’s nothing to tell. I’ve gone to court. I’m on a call right now. I got to go.”
NBC Connecticut Investigates also watched and viewed multiple bodycam and dashcam videos from Ortiz’s arrest.
Ortiz does not appear to have been given a field sobriety test, and there’s no indication there was one in his arrest report.
As for the lack of a field sobriety test, Hartford Police Lieutenant Aaron Boisvert noted officers “were able to locate the driver and took him into custody.” He added “…the requirements for reasonable suspicion of DUI may not have been met.”
Torres told us he believes Ortiz should have had a field sobriety test…and he should get help replacing his totaled car – knowing at the same time, he’s lucky.
“Trying to replay it back in your head thinking about ‘man, I could have lost my life or something.’ It’s definitely, definitely eye opening,” Torres said.
Ortiz’s original charges were felony evading, reckless driving and failure to drive in a proper lane. He reached a plea agreement on a misdemeanor evading charge, and the other charges were dropped.
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