Willimantic police officer arrested after off-duty crash involving multiple cars

A Willimantic police officer is under arrest. He’s accused of driving drunk at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour and causing a crash involving multiple cars while off duty.

“It was chaos. You just saw a lot of oil,” Eddie Romero, of Willimantic, said. “Then you saw five, six cars. It's like all pushed into one another.”

In an arrest warrant, investigators say it was discovered the officer - Eduardo Garcia - had a blood alcohol content of 0.21%. And they estimate his Jeep Grand Cherokee was going upwards of 98 to 107 miles an hour before the crash on Main Street earlier this month.

“It was pretty, pretty intense. You know, especially the Cherokee and how it hit, it was all mangled. Airbags were totally out,” Matthew Marques, of Willimantic, said.

Police discovered the driver was gone, but recognized the officer’s Cherokee. They say they called Garcia who initially said his sister had gotten into an accident.

Later, the sister told police Garcia allegedly called her to pick him up near the crash site and “Eduardo told her that he was going to be in trouble and that he would lose his job.”

Detectives said Garcia ultimately admitted he had been drinking at a bar that night and did not remember the crash.

“I'm in shock because, you know, it's in your own town where you work. And second of all, you know, you're supposed to be like a street role model for people not to do the bad things, not to drink and drive,” Marques said.

The 25-year-old now faces charges of DUI, reckless driving and evading responsibility. Romero, who said he was a high school friend of Garcia’s, said serving the community had been a dream of his.

“He's a good cop. Good dude. Sometimes we all make mistakes. Stuff happens. And it was unfortunate for the events that transpired,” Romero said.

Police said Garcia was placed on administrative leave shortly after the crash. He’s out on a $100,000 bond and is due in court in early April.