VIDEO: SA driver seen crashing into concrete barrier charged with third DWI

Video goes viral on social media: 'Crazy day in San Antonio'

SAN ANTONIOUpdate:

The driver who is seen in a now-viral video crashing his pickup truck into a concrete barrier on Loop 410 has been identified as 61-year-old Manuel Rodriguez-Rojas.

According to SAPD, Rodriguez-Rojas was arrested on Tuesday for his third DWI offense. His bond has been set at $10,000.

Deandre Lewis, the man who recorded Rodriguez-Rojas, said he smelled a strong scent of alcohol when he opened the driver side door seen in the video. 

Original Story:

A video showing a San Antonio driver swerving on the access road of Loop 410 near W. Military Drive and hitting a concrete barrier in the process of entering busy highway traffic has now been seen nearly 500,000 times on social media.

The video shared Tuesday on Twitter by Deandre Lewis, who witnessed the crash, captures the moments after Lewis confronts the driver and tells him to get out the car.

"Hey man, you're done driving. Get out the car. You're done driving. That's it," Lewis said in the video, as he walks up to the man's pickup truck.

The video also shows Lewis opening the unidentified man's driver door as he tells bystanders to call the police.

The San Antonio Police Department said it is investigating the incident but confirmed to KSAT.com that officers were dispatched for an accident just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 7600 block of NW Loop 410.

Lewis, 20, told KSAT.com he decided to record the driver after he saw the man "swerve all over, almost striking a senior citizens bus. We got on the access road and when I saw him heading toward the highway, I already knew trouble was about to happen. So I pulled out my phone and started recording."

Lewis, who is from Austin but goes to school in San Antonio studying to become a federal agent, said his first reaction was to take control of the situation and try to de-escalate the problem before it got worse, potentially killing someone.

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"I stopped him before he could get on the highway in the middle of rush hour. There could have been a serious accident because he was not paying attention," Lewis told KSAT.com. "My self-courage to do what I did resembles why I want to become a federal agent. I have no fear. I just want to do something for the greater good."

Since being shared on Twitter, Lewis' tweet has collected more than 9,000 retweets and more than 18,000 likes in less than 24 hours.

SAN ANTONIO STORY IDEAS & TIPS, EMAIL: agarcia@ksat.com


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