Body cam footage shows San Antonio councilman after alleged DWI hit-and-run
On Thursday afternoon, November 10, San Antonio District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry turned himself in to local law enforcement the same day a warrant was issued for an alleged hit-and-run accident Sunday evening. Just hours later, the San Antonio Police Department released body camera footage of an encounter between an officer and Perry, who was suspected of drinking and driving, soon after the accident.
An officer in the video is seen entering Perry’s backyard where they find the councilman lying on the ground, looking to be unconscious before they start asking him questions. Perry is slow to answer in the video.
His pants are unzipped throughout the body camera footage and appear to have been soiled. In the official report by SAPD, officers stated that the councilman was, ‘confused about recent events of the evening.’ Perry reportedly smelled of alcohol and had a laceration on his head.
Additional information related to the incident was also released Thursday evening. According to an incident report, the officer entered the backyard after having heard a moaning sound. They were originally directed to the house by a witness who followed Perry after seeing the accident.
In the middle of the video, the officer asks Perry if he’s refusing to answer questions, to which the councilman responds, “no … I’m just … I had a good time.” This explanation is repeated several times throughout the video in response to questions about what Perry was doing before he was found.
At one point, the officer appears to have called EMS to the scene to evaluate him. According to the official report, the officer departed because of lack of probable cause and did not test Perry’s sobriety.
The Department will be filing an additional charge for one count of Driving While Intoxicated, in addition to the original citation of Failure to Render Aid, for which Thursday’s warrant was issued.
On Tuesday, November 8, when news of the incident broke, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Perry should resign from City Council if the police report was accurate. A Change.org petition asking for Perry to resign has 65 signatures, as of this write.
Footage of the incident can be watched here:
