Docs: Intoxicated man jailed after hitting ‘friend’ with car

ALAMO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Alamo man is behind bars after hitting his “friend” with a car and fleeing the scene, court documents stated.

Gonzalo Zapata is facing charges of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury and tampering with physical evidence, jail records show.

At 3:35 a.m. on Wednesday, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was dispatched to a crash where a vehicle struck a pedestrian at the 400 block of El Jay Drive in Hidalgo County.

The trooper arrived and found a man lying face down on the floor with others around him. The victim was described as having serious injuries to his back and shoulder, a probable cause affidavit stated.

The trooper talked to the three people surrounding the victim, who said the victim was their friend. The group said they were at a house and left briefly to talk to someone. When they returned, they saw the victim laying on the ground.

While speaking with the group, Zapata admitted to the trooper that it was not a random vehicle that struck Pena and that it was him, the document stated. Zapata told the trooper he struck the victim with the front of his vehicle and the victim had flown onto the roadway.

“Mr. Zapata then stated he got scared and went to hide his truck at his cousin’s house so he wouldn’t look like he caused the accident,” the affidavit stated.

Zapata showed signs of intoxication during a Standardized Field Sobriety test, DPS stated.

Zapata was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail that same day, and remains jailed on a $30,000 bond.

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