LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police released dashcam video from a fatal crash on April 2 involving one of its officers.
The dark video posted on LMPD's YouTube page shows the moments leading up to the crash at 8:54 p.m., as Officer Alyssa Begel was responding to an emergency request for help from an EMS crew.
Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said on Wednesday that investigators determined that Begel was speeding on Fern Valley Road and did not have the cruiser's lights and siren activated.
The silent video posted on Thursday morning shows Begel swerving through traffic before the impact, when Begel's cruiser hit a black Cadillac that pulled onto Fern Valley Road. The driver, 61-year-old Charles Briscoe, died at the scene.
Begel suffered serious injuries and was released from the hospital after several days. She remains on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, according to a statement from police.
LMPD said on Thursday that it has "opened administrative and criminal investigations into the collision. Once completed, we will turn the findings over to the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for review and recommendations."
A man who witnessed the crash told WDRB last week that Begel was driving extremely fast and with no lights or sirens on.
The video shows Begel speeding passed nearly 10 cars, including Brandon Branson, 20 seconds before crashing into Briscoe's black Cadillac.
Last week WDRB asked LMPD whether Begel was driving without lights and sirens as the witness described, but a spokesperson referred to department's critical incident policy and did not answer the question, but they later told us her emergency equipment had not been activated.
LMPD policy states officers are exempt from certain driving regulations while responding to an emergency, but "this does not relieve officers from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons."
"I see officers speed past civilians all the time, but at the rate of speed she passed everyone, I was very surprised that she didn't have any lights on," Branson said.
Branson believes if Begel hadn't been going so fast or if she had her lights on, the outcome could have been different. It is not clear exactly how fast she was going.
LMPD is treating the crash as a critical incident, following the same protocol used when someone dies in a police shooting. That means body or dash cam footage would be made public in 10 business days, which the department has now done.
According to Begel's personnel file released by the city late Friday afternoon, she was hired in October 2022, has 22 commendations and three reprimands for discipline.
One particular incident in the documents show Begel was "at fault" in a car accident a year after her hiring, in October 2023, and disciplined for it in April 2024 in the form of a verbal reprimand.
Begel was released from the hospital last Friday, April 4.
This story may be updated.
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