A female civilian Traffic Control Assistant was critically injured March 9 when her vehicle was struck by a driver who is suspected of driving under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana.
The APD employee was performing traffic control duties on La Palma Avenue across the street from Servite High School when the collision occurred. She was stopped and seated in a marked traffic vehicle blocking traffic in the westbound number two lane of La Palma Avenue when the suspect vehicle, a blue 2017 Toyota Tundra, struck her from behind.
She was ejected from the vehicle and suffered critical injuries. Co-workers and paramedics rendered medical aid and she was transported to a local trauma center.
The driver of the suspect vehicle, Jose Alfredo Alcantar Garcia, a 34-year-old resident of Placentia, was booked at the Anaheim Detention Facility. Charges include felony driving under the influence of drugs causing great bodily injury, possession of methamphetamine for sale, transportation of methamphetamine, and driving on a suspended driver’s license. His bail was statutorily set at $100,000.
Additionally, police later announced that just one hour prior to striking the APD employee, Garcia struck another vehicle and fled the scene eastbound on La Palma Avenue. There were no injuries in that collision. As a result, the additional booking charge of 20002(a), a misdemeanor hit and run, was added.
