Man charged with DWI after collision with police car on Route 1

A 31-year-old man is accused of driving under the influence after a weekend crash on Richmond Highway involving a police car.

The suspect faces charges of DWI, refusal, possession of marijuana and failing to yield the right of way after the Saturday night collision, which resulted in no injuries, according to police.

Police say the suspect turned his 2013 Hyundai Sonata into the path of a 2009 Ford Taurus police cruiser around 8: 20 p.m. at the intersection with Arlington Drive in the Hybla Valley area.

According to police, the police car was driving northbound on Richmond Highway near the intersection. Sampson was traveling southbound on the highway and allegedly made a left turn at the intersection into the police car’s path.  Pictures released by the police show that the officer’s airbag deployed in the collision.

After the crash, responding officers noticed that the suspect was unsteady on his feet and smelled of alcohol, according to the police. He was giving a field sobriety test and then taken into custody.

This is the second DUI crash involving a marked Fairfax County Police car in the last three months. In December, a woman was charged after rear-ending an unmarked police SUV being driving by Chief of Police Edwin Roessler in the Centreville area.