A Vancouver man faces a vehicular assault allegation after, police say, he was driving while intoxicated early Thursday morning and crashed into a parked tractor-trailer rig, injuring his passenger.
Felipe Da Cruz, 20, made a first appearance on the allegation Friday morning in Clark County Superior Court.
Da Cruz was driving a white 2017 Mazda 3 recklessly, doing cookies in the parking lot of 2401 N.E. Four Seasons Lane at about 2 a.m. Thursday, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
He then sped north, crashed into a parked, unoccupied tractor-trailer in the 2400 block of Northeast Four Seasons Lane and continued driving, according to the affidavit.
Officers followed the Mazda as it turned east onto Northeast 28th Street and approached the vehicle, which was smoking and had parts dragging on the ground, according to the court document.
Police activated their emergency lights and caught up to Da Cruz, who was reportedly driving 70 mph, the affidavit states.
As the officer got behind the Mazda, Da Cruz stopped.
The passenger in Da Cruz’s vehicle, Katherine Popi, was injured and bleeding from her face, the affidavit states.
Firefighters had to extricate Popi from the vehicle, and she was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. She suffered a facial fracture and needed 10 stitches on her right eyebrow, which police said meets the legal standard for substantial bodily harm, the affidavit states.
Police reported that Da Cruz had trouble balancing, had bloodshot eyes and that they could smell a strong odor of intoxicants from his breath, according to the court document.
Da Cruz told officers he had only taken one drink of alcohol at a park near the Columbia River and was driving home to get Popi “somewhere safe,” the affidavit states.
Da Cruz told the officer he didn’t see the tractor-trailer before hitting it, according to the court record. He provided two breath samples, both of which registered a blood alcohol content of 0.132, the affidavit states. In Washington, blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater is considered evidence of drunken driving.
During Friday’s court hearing, Judge Robert Lewis granted Da Cruz supervised release with conditions including a required ignition interlock device in any vehicle he drives. His next court appearance was scheduled for July 27.
