Posted on 12/04/2006 10:27:33 AM PST by COBOL2Java
OCCOQUAN, Va. -- Authorities said a Woodbridge boy has drowned after escaping from a police cruiser parked on a bridge.
Police said the boy leaped over a concrete barrier and into the Occoquan River early Saturday morning.
Virginia State Police Sergeant Terry Licklider said it's unclear why 16-year-old Rodger Rodriguez jumped off Interstate 95 and into the river about 60 feet below.
He said authorities don't know if Rodriguez was just trying to escape and didn't realize what he was trying to jump over.
The boy's mother, Gloria Elena Rodriguez, told The Washington Post her son was familiar with the area along the highway.
Rodriguez was pulled over about 3:20 a.m. for speeding and was arrested for drunken driving and driving without a license.
At the time he escaped, Rodriguez was sitting in the front passenger seat of the cruiser with his hands handcuffed behind his back
Gloria Rodriguez said her son would never have intentially jumped into the water. She said she doesn't know what she will do now without her only son.
The teenager's mother and stepfather are asking authorities to investigate exactly what happened.
Virginia State Police say they will have a routine internal investigation, but also say it appears the trooper involved followed procedure.
Their shows are available online. Worth a listen - both programs are right-leaning.
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