Driver Detained After Close Call With Texas Capitol Police
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AUSTIN, Texas — An apparent drunken driver of a pickup allegedly tried to run over two police officers on foot patrol about a block from the Governor’s Mansion, police said Saturday.
The Capitol Police officers shot at the driver five times early Saturday as he drove on Texas Capitol property before he tried to escape. The officers belong to a detachment of the Texas Department of Public Safety responsible for guarding the Capitol.
Todd Nathaniel Woerner, 25, later was found in the truck a few blocks away. Police said he had passed out.
No injuries were reported. DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said authorities planned to file two counts of attempted capital murder against Woerner.
Patricia Anderson, communications supervisor with the Austin Police Department, said, “Basically, it’s a DWI that drove up on the wrong property.”
The incident occurred about 12:50 a.m. CST. Mange said Gov. George W. Bush and his family were home at the time. “The governor was never in danger.”
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