Arizona Man Charged After Pickup Hits Fairfax Police Cruiser

A pickup truck struck a Fairfax County police cruiser on Interstate 95 in Springfield early November 8, while an officer was outside the vehicle conducting a traffic stop. Police said the marked cruiser’s emergency lights were on. The officer and the people involved in the other stop were not injured; the stopped driver was later released and was not part of the collision.

Police identified the pickup’s driver as Pedro Jacome, 26, of Arizona. He was arrested at approximately 4:15 a.m. beside Fairfax County Parkway. The cruiser suffered extensive damage.

Jacome faced charges including driving while intoxicated, an open-container violation and not yielding to an emergency vehicle. The charges also included refusal to take a DWI test and obstruction of justice. He was booked at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and later released on an unsecured bond.

Court records from Maricopa and Pima counties show Jacome had traffic cases in Arizona dating to 2020, including citations for driving without a license or coverage and operating a vehicle while his license was suspended or revoked. Five of seven recent cases ended in default judgments after he did not appear in court. His record also included a 2020 guilty plea to attempted third-degree trespassing in Phoenix.

The crash has renewed calls from police and road-safety advocates to avoid driving while impaired. Washington Regional Alcohol Program president Kurt Erickson said its SoberRide service provided 2,000 rides over Halloween and expects demand to rise around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Police said Jacome had been released from jail.