Miami-Dade officer was drunk when he drew his gun after crashing into police car, cops say
HE WAS CHARGED WITH DUI AND CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE.
An on-duty veteran Miami-Dade officer was drunk when he crashed his unmarked county SUV into a parked police cruiser and drew his gun Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.
Victor Manuel Montalvo, 43, was driving a black Ford Explorer SUV, going west on Southwest 72nd Street (Sunset Drive) toward 144th Avenue when he crashed his police vehicle into a parked Miami-Dade police cruiser around 12:40 p.m., according to his arrest report. The officer whose vehicle was rear-ended by Montalvo, police said, was off-duty while providing security for a slow-moving roadway traffic marking crew on the right lane and had his police emergency lights activated to warn drivers.
Police said Montalvo, who has been with the department for 20 years, got out of the SUV “unsteadily” in plain clothes while the uniformed police officer went to check on the crew. The situation worsened when a crew member told the uniformed police officer that they saw Montalvo “laying prone in the roadway.”
“Officer Zbik observed the defendant reached to the front of his waistband, draw a semi-automatic firearm, and take what appeared to be a lowready, prone, tactical-type position with what appeared to be a dazed or confused look on his face,” police said on the arrest report.
Det. Luis Sierra, a Miami-Dade police spokesman, said “low-ready” means when officers draw their guns at a downward angle.
Officer David Zbik pointed his gun at Montalvo and loudly ordered him to drop the pistol, police said.
‘I DRANK TOO MUCH’
Montalvo quickly dropped his gun and Zbik kicked it away. Montalvo was then handcuffed and put into the back of a police vehicle.
“I drank too much,” Montalvo told Zbik, according to police. Another officer told investigators Montalvo’s breath smelled like alcohol. The officer also noted Montalvo had watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared confused about what happened and where he was.
Another officer who arrived to conduct a DUI investigation said Montalvo, an officer in the department’s Cyber Crimes Bureau, had blood on his face and nose. That officer told investigators
Montalvo refused to do a field sobriety test and to provide a sample of his breath, which are used to help determine if a driver is impaired.
According to state law, drivers who refuse to submit to a breath test will have their licenses suspended for a year. It was unknown Wednesday whether Montalvo’s driver’s license would be suspended.
While Montalvo was in the back seat of the police car, he peed on himself, police said.
After the crash, MiamiDade Fire Rescue paramedics evaluated Montalvo at the scene and released him. Still, police said they took Montalvo to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital as a precaution after he said his right wrist hurt. Zbik said he was “shaken and sore” from the crash but declined to go to the hospital, police said.
On Wednesday, Montalvo was released from the county’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,000 bond, jail records show. He was charged with DUI and causing property damage. Police said he could also be charged with using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol pending an evaluation by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
SUSPENDED
Montalvo was suspended with pay and is being investigated by the Professional Compliance Bureau, Sierra told the Miami Herald. Montalvo did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon to several requests for comments via phone call, text and email.
Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels said in a news release her department will continue to work with the State Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation.
“As the police Director, I am disheartened by the recent incident involving one of my officers who was arrested for driving under the influence, while on duty,” she said. “My officers are held to the highest standards of conduct, both on and off duty, and the actions of this individual do not reflect the core values of our department.”