Tesla driver is arrested and thrown in jail after school crossing guard accused him of driving into her – but doorbell cam footage shows SHE backed into front of his car
A Tesla driver was arrested and jailed after a crossing guard accused him of striking her - only for doorbell cam footage to clear his name.
Joe Hernandez, 32, was accused by an Anne Arundel County Police crossing guard of 'intentionally striking her leg (and) causing a minor injury' on September 9.
But footage shot from a nearby home shows that he did no such thing - and that the unnamed crossing guard actually backed into his car, without sustaining any sort of injury.
A nearby police officer put Hernandez in handcuffs in front of his girlfriend and her child and took him to jail, where he spent the night.
He was charged with failure to render aid to an injured person, reckless driving, and negligent driving as well as second-degree assault, as reported by WJLA.
Maryland police arrested Tesla driver Joe Hernandez (right) last week after an unidentified crossing guard (left) told police the driver hit her with his car but a neighbor's security camera footage shows differently - now all charges have been dropped
Hernandez's lawyer James E Keatts told Fox News that Hernandez was 'arrested, held without bail by the commissioner, forced to spend time in jail, and had his reputation permanently tarnished all for fraudulent accusations.'
He added: These charges should have been dismissed days ago'.
But the female crossing guard - who originally told cops the 'impatient' driver in a blue Tesla drove the car into her - lied. In a neighbor's security camera footage of that moment, which was taken in a suburb south of Baltimore called Glen Burnie, Hernandez didn't hit her at all.
The video taken at 8.45am shows Hernandez pull up to the crosswalk. After stopping so the crossing guard could let three kids on their way to school cross the street she appears to back into the Tesla while motioning for the students to walk.
The video taken at 8.45am shows Hernandez pull up to the crosswalk. After stopping so the crossing guard could let three kids on their way to school cross the street she appears to back into the Tesla while motioning for the students to walk
The female crossing guard - who originally told cops the 'impatient' driver in a blue Tesla drove the car into her - lied and simply stood in front of Hernandez's car. He never hit her
When the crossing guard refuses to move despite the fact that there are no cars passing in the other direction, Hernandez drives around her and she was completely unharmed
Hernandez was wrongfully arrested on September 9. A nearby cop put him in handcuffs in front of his girlfriend and her child and even spent the night in jail
Hernandez inches the car backwards and it seems like he says something to the crossing guard, although there is no audio in the video.
The woman then stops directing traffic and just stands in front of Hernandez's car, and appears to make gentle contact with its fender.
When the crossing guard refuses to move despite the fact that there are no cars passing in the other direction, Hernandez drives around her and she was completely unharmed.
The unidentified crossing guard told WJLA of the incident: 'Everything speaks for itself. I know what took place.'
Meanwhile, federal officials said Friday they will investigate a fiery Tesla crash that left two people dead in South Florida.
A Tesla Model 3 left the roadway and collided with a tree Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Twitter.
Three investigators are traveling to Coral Gables next week where the deadly crash happened and NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said: 'We always look especially closely at newer technology.'
The crash occurred near a residential intersection, and it wasn't immediately known whether speed was a factor. It was also unclear whether the car's partially automated driving system was activated at the time of the crash.
The NTSB investigation will focus on the operation of the vehicle and the post-crash fire that consumed the car, officials said.
Tesla vehicles don't use gasoline that could raise the risk of a big fire after a crash but the company includes a warning about battery fires but Tesla representatives have said that high-speed collisions can result in a fire for any kind of car.
The government has scrutinized Tesla's system many times and in the past five years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent investigators to 31 crashes involving vehicles with partially automated driver-assist systems, including 25 involving Teslas.
The NTSB will begin its investigation on Monday, complete on-scene work within a week and have a preliminary report in about 30 days, officials said.
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