Houston Police Officer Nestor Garcia Fighting for His Life After Being Hit During Traffic Stop

HOUSTON -- A Houston police officer is fighting for his life after being hit early Wednesday by a car during a traffic stop on Interstate 69.

Nestor Garcia, 24, was in surgery for several hours Wednesday morning. He was in critical but stable condition mid-morning Wednesday, with injuries to his head and his abdomen and several fractures, any of which alone are serious injuries, said Police Chief Art Acevedo.

"The one thing that we really need now is prayers," Acevedo said at a press conference. "This is a young man who is 24 years old, at the beginning of his career, and, sadly, he's fighting for his life."

The collision happened about 2 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 69, also called U.S. 59, at Greenbriar, as officers conducted a car stop on a stolen vehicle, Acevedo said.

Garcia moved to the right side of one of the patrol vehicles to give commands to the suspect. Then, a 79-year-old man driving a silver Toyota Highlander at a speed of between 50 and 60 mph hit Garcia, Acevedo said.

The driver, identified in court records as Robert Zimmerman, narrowly missed other officers and dragged Garcia several feet.

"I don't care if he's intoxicated or not intoxicated, that's reckless," Acevedo said. "That's reckless conduct and, as far as I'm concerned, he needs to go for at least a felony."

Garcia was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Zimmerman has been charged with intoxication assault of a public servant.

The Harris County District Attorney's office is waiting for the results of a toxicology test before determining what substances Zimmerman may have been under the influence of, said District Attorney Kim Ogg.

"Anybody driving this recklessly in Houston and causes this kind of damage is going to be arrested and prosecuted," Ogg said Wednesday. "This was really a needless tragedy, and our prayers are with Officer Garcia, and we hope for a speedy recovery."

The district attorney's office has conflicting statements about where Zimmerman was prior to the crash, said Sean Teare with the district attorney's office.

He was the only person in his car. Teare declined to provide more specifics about the crash.

Several search warrants have been executed on Zimmerman's car, Teare said.

Teare declined to provide details about what had been found in the vehicle, citing that the investigation was ongoing.

Zimmerman does not have a criminal history in Harris County, according to court records.

Joseph Gamaldi, vice president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, posted on Facebook Wednesday morning that Garcia was out of surgery and about to get a CAT scan. He will then be transferred to the ICU.

"We're asking the entire Houston community please pray for the entire Garcia family right now," said Joseph Gamaldi, vice president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, at the press conference. "Our entire blue family is going to rally around Officer Garcia and his family and make sure they get everything they need."

David Persse, Houston's EMS physician director, said Wednesday morning most of Garcia's injuries could be treated, but added, "We are concerned about the head injury."

It could be days until the extent of Garcia's head injury is clear, Acevedo added.

"He's really sick," Acevedo said. "He's critical. What he has working for him is his youth."

Wednesday morning, Acevedo spoke out against drunk driving and cautioned drivers to slow down when police vehicles are on the highways.

"If you see those emergency lights on a highway, on a street, that does not mean enter that scene at 50 or 60 miles per hour because you're putting people at risk," Acevedo said. "Our officer should not be right here fighting for his life."

So far this year, 38 officers have died in traffic accidents nationwide, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which tracks officer fatalities.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52 law enforcement officers were killed in traffic-related incidents in 2015. Eleven of those officers were struck and killed outside of their vehicles.

Incidents involving first responders getting killed while performing traffic stops or helping with roadside incidents led to "Move Over" laws getting passed in states across the country, the first coming in 1996, in South Carolina, after a paramedic died after being struck while responding to a crash. Texas' Move Over Act was signed in 2003.

In a study released last year, the law enforcement memorial fund looked at officer deaths and found traffic stops accounted for 63 percent of "self-initiated" cases that led to line of duty deaths.

"Anytime a law enforcement officer has to exit their vehicle, whether working traffic enforcement, aiding a motorist, or perhaps attending and watching over construction on a roadway, they're putting themselves in harm's way," said Steve Groeninger, the memorial fund's communications director. "Motorists following 'move over' laws is one way we can help protect officers while they're working on roadways."

Garcia has been on the force since August 2016, Acevedo said. His co-workers nicknamed him Nacho - referring to the movie Nacho Libre.

Garcia's family are longtime friends of Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who was one of Garcia's references when he joined HPD, Acevedo said.

Gonzalez confirmed he was a reference in a tweet Wednesday. He added, "Praying Officer Garcia pulls through. Great young man."

Garcia's parents are originally from Michoacán, Mexico. He has two brothers, Acevedo added.

"You've got all of this SB 4 stuff going on, and all of the political theater and the silliness, and here's the son of Mexican immigrants," Acevedo said. "He's here serving this community. He's here putting himself at risk."

The other officers were "pretty shaken up," Wednesday morning, Acevedo said. HPD made psychological services available to them.

The portion of the highway near the crash was reopened by 6 a.m.

"He was doing his job when this accident happened," said Mayor Sylvester Turner at the press conference. "We were appreciative of him before. We're going to be very supportive of him now."

Brian Rogers contributed to this report.

Tribune News Service