Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, last Friday denied attempting to leave the scene of his 1998 drunken driving arrest, but The Washington Post says that claim is false and gave it "four Pinocchios."
According to police records, O'Rourke crashed into a truck traveling in "the same direction" at a speed of 75 mph before crossing into the median into opposite lanes and stopping. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.136, well above the legal limit of 0.10.
"The defendant/driver then attempted to leave the scene," the police officer, Richard Carrera, said in a report. The witness "then turned on his overhead lights to warn oncoming traffic and try to get the defendant to stop."
The report also said O'Rourke "attempted to leave the accident but was stopped by the reporter."
O'Rourke, when asked about the incident, said: "I did not try to leave the scene of the accident, though driving drunk, which I did, is a terrible mistake for which there is no excuse or justification or defense, and I will not try to provide one."
The Washington Post cited police records obtained by the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle.
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