Police did not issue a traffic citation to Cedric Richmond, a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden and ex-U.S. congressman, or test him for intoxication despite the high-profile Democrat acting bewildered and slurring his speech after a car wreck in New Orleans, according to new details about the April 23 incident.
A police report offered insight into a police officer’s investigation into what happened with Richmond, who left the White House last year to become an adviser to the Democratic National Committee, after his Mercedes convertible crashed into an oak tree at an intersection with his young son in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
“The officer briefly met with (Richmond) and noted slurred speech,” officer Mark Miranda wrote, per Fox 8. “The officer did not detect an odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from (Richmond). Paramedics advised both occupants (of Richmond’s crashed car) were being transported … for possible injuries sustained in the crash.”
Miranda said Richmond’s son was in stable condition but complained of pain along his waistline. The police report added that Richmond had a “suspected serious injury,” according to an investigative report by The Times-Picayune and local CBS affiliate WWL-TV.
Both victims were transported to a hospital for treatment, Miranda reported. At the hospital, Richmond “was observed in a dazed, disoriented state and advised the officer he could not remember any details regarding the crash. The officer no longer noted slurred speech,” Miranda’s report said.
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) issued a statement explaining that a citation is issued at the discretion of an officer based on an initial investigation. “As the incident involved a single-vehicle crash, coupled with the medical condition of the driver and the statement provided by the passenger of the vehicle, no citations were issued,” the NOPD statement added.
NOPD also said “there was no reasonable suspicion of intoxication, nor probable cause to conduct tests for impairment” because Miranda reported that he did not detect any odor of an alcoholic beverage from Richmond.
Miranda attributed Richmond’s bewildered state to injuries from the crash and a deployed airbag. In addition, the officer reportedly chose not to cite Richmond, in part, because of a statement by Richmond’s son, who told Miranda the accident happened after an orange Corvette swerved in front of their vehicle and believed the road had been wet. However, Miranda observed in his police report that the road had been dry and a review of footage from nearby crime cameras showed no indication of a speeding Corvette when the crash took place.
The Times-Picayune and WWL-TV, which divulged these details, also reviewed the footage and found no evidence of another car in the area at the time. Their news report said the city provided some police body-camera video but deleted footage that actually showed Richmond, citing the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. In addition, their news report pointed out that the number of DWI arrests by News Orleans police have dropped over the years amid an officer shortage.
Former NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas, now a professor of criminal justice at Loyola University, told the news outlets the department should conduct an internal investigation, though he doubts there was a “coverup.”
WDSU, a local NBC affiliate, reported Richmond suffered injuries to his hand, head, and hip. “I’m fine, my son is fine, and the police report speaks for itself,” Richmond told the news outlet.
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