WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County Police Department arrested one of its own officers Thursday after he crashed his cruiser in an alleged drunk driving incident.
Police Officer First Class Christopher Brown was driving a marked cruiser when he clipped the back of tractor trailer, lost control of the vehicle and hit a guardrail around 2:30 a.m. Thursday near Pennsylvania Avenue and Interstate 495. Police said Brown initially left the scene of the crash and returned a short time later.
Responding officers suspected that Brown was under the influence of alcohol and arrested him. It is not yet clear if Brown performed a breathalyzer.
Neither Brown nor the tractor trailer driver were hurt in the crash.
Brown, who joined the department in 2009, was involved in another drunken driving crash in his police cruiser in 2012. Police arrested Brown following the Oxon Hill crash. Brown pleaded guilty to charges of drunk driving, speeding and failure to control his vehicle, according to court records.
Brown has been suspended from the department after the most recent incident. He is again charged with multiple counts of driving under the influence and speeding.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski said he found the incident “gravely troubling” and apologized for the “appearance of impropriety.”
“Know that, as always, when I have the facts I will take appropriate action to remedy this and I will make the facts known to the public,” Stawinski said in a news release.
