Police Officer Killed After Plowing Into Pickup Truck at 109 MPH Without Seatbelt, Siren, or Lights — Police Charge Other Driver

There is a disturbing report out of Las Vegas this week concerning a fatal crash involving a police car. Officer James Manor was driving at 109 mph without either lights or siren on May 7th. The sheriff admits that the speed and manner of Manor’s driving was “excessive and unsafe” — leading to his own death after crashing into the the pickup truck of Calvin Darling. Yet, the police promptly arrested Darling for failing to yield to a police car and driving under the influence (despite the fact that he was not driving under the influence).

A patrol car traveling at 109 mph would cover the length of a football field in about two seconds. When Manor hit Darling, the speed was no less than 90 mph in a 45 mph zone. The collision was virtually instantaneous for Darling. Manor was not wearing a seatbelt at the time.

However, Darling was arrested and charged with failing to yield and drunk driving.
At the time, an outraged Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie insisted that Manor had both his siren on and lights flashing.

Not only was Manor not using a siren or lights but neither was the second officer responding to the call.
Gillespie also said that Darling admitted to drinking and failed a DUI field test. Police now say that Darling was below the legal limit, here. little over an hour after the accident, a blood test showed Darling had a blood-alcohol level of 0.035, well below the legal limit of 0.08. A second test an hour later showed his level had dropped to 0.021.

It is important to remember that this man had just been struck but a car at roughly 100 miles per hour and had physical injuries at the time of his interrogation and testing. Darling has no prior record.

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