CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two people were arrested, including a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer, for driving while impaired following two separate crashes on I-77 early Saturday morning.
Just before 3 a.m., CMPD and NC State Highway Patrol responded to a crash on I-77 southbound near Arrowood Road. When officers arrived, they found Officer Marsaun Cook, 32, had rear-ended a vehicle in his personal vehicle and noticed the smell of alcohol.
Neither driver was injured and Cook was off-duty at the time of the crash, officers said.
Following a series of sobriety tests, officers arrested Cook for driving while impaired.
While officers were investigating the crash involving Cook, another vehicle collided with three police cars at the scene, causing bad damage to two of the vehicles and the third being sideswiped, police said.
All the CMPD vehicles were unoccupied and no one was injured during the second crash, police said. The driver was believed to be driving while impaired and was later arrested and charged with driving while impaired.
"Driving While Impaired is a serious public safety hazard. Unfortunately, our people are not immune to human error," CMPD Chief of Police Johnny Jennings said in a statement. "I have been resolute about holding employees accountable for their decisions. I will not tolerate decisions made that violate the law, endanger the public and erode public trust. Any time one of our members falls short of that expectation, thereby violating our standards and internal culture, we own it, and we take immediate steps to ensure that the trust and credibility we have established is not compromised."
Cook was hired on February 20, 2017, and is currently assigned to the Education Outreach & Youth Services Division as a School Resource Officer assigned to Olympic High School. He will be placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to police.
WCNC Charlotte is committed to reporting on the issues facing the communities we serve. We tell the stories of people working to solve persistent social problems. We examine how problems can be solved or addressed to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference. WCNC Charlotte is seeking solutions for you. Send your tips or questions to newstips@wcnc.com.