Drunken Driver Injures Suffolk Officer In Huntington Crash: Police

HUNTINGTON, NY — A drunken driver crashed into a Suffolk County Police Department Second Precinct patrol car, injuring a police officer early Thursday in Huntington, police told Patch.

An officer had responded to a prior drunken driving crash when his car was hit, police said. A 2023 Hyundai struck a pole in front 1070 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, around 2:45 a.m., police said. The driver, Dimitrios Thomopoulos, 27, of Old Westbury, was charged with driving while intoxicated and was not injured, police said.

While Thomopoulos's Hyundai was being towed, a 2016 Mini Cooper driven by James Byrne, 56, of Huntington, struck the back of a patrol car that was blocking traffic, police said. The officer, a man who was alone in the car, was treated at a local hospital and released, police said.

Byrne was charged with driving while intoxicated and was admitted to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that are not life-threatening, police said.