Last December, we reported about a crash that resulted in the critical injury of Denver Police Officer John Adsmit, who was working crowd-control duty at an East High School student walkout over events in Ferguson, Missouri.
Christopher Booker, the man behind the wheel of a vehicle that struck Adsit, said the accident took place as a result of him having a seizure.
However, Booker has now been arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault and more.
Why? It's not because authorities doubt that Booker had an attack prior to the incident. Rather, they argue that Booker knew about his condition and lied about it in order to get a driver's license.
Around 10 a.m. on December 3, as we've reported, approximately 500 students walked out of East. Some demonstrators headed toward the State Captiol and the 16th Street Mall, while others wound up on Colfax, where East is located, blocking traffic at the Colfax-Broadway intersection.
Our Brandon Marshall covered the event, depicted in this photo from our East High Walks Out for Ferguson slide show.....
...and this one:
Amid the demonstrations, a black Mercedes allegedly driven by Booker crashed, hitting Adsit and another officer, Darren Ulrich, who was less seriously injured.
Adsit spent many days fighting for his life and much longer than that struggling to recover from his injuries. The Denver Police Department has documented his efforts and eventual triumphs in a series of videos, three of which are on view below.
Charges weren't immediately filed against Booker because the crash was tied to his medical condition.
He reportedly had no knowledge of what had happened until he woke up at an area hospital and noticed a police officer giving him the "evil eye."
However, 9News reports that Booker had a history of such seizures, and even suffered one the month prior to striking the police officers. Moreover, the DPD maintains that his condition was such that had he divulged it, he wouldn't have been issued a license to drive.
The station lists nine times over the past decade that Booker renewed his license. But he allegedly responded "no" on each occasion to this question: "During the last two years, have you had any physical, mental, or emotional condition that would interfere with your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely including heart problems, diabetes, paralysis, epilepsy, seizures, lapses of consciousness or dizziness?"
The last of these renewal dates was March 15 of this year, just over three months after the seizure he suffered in December.
As such, the DPD took Booker into custody on suspicion of the following offenses:
• 18-3-202 Assault in the First Degree, a class 3 felonyThe Denver District Attorney's Office is expected to formally charge Booker soon with as many as twenty counts.
• 18-3-205 Vehicular Assault, a class 5 felony
• 18-8-306 Attempt to Influence a Public Servant, a class 4 felony
• 18-5-102 Forgery, a class 5 felony
Look below to see his booking photo, followed by a CBS4 video of the press conference announcing the arrest, the station's report about the latest developments, and the aforementioned DPD videos featuring Adsit.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
