APD officer suspended after involvement in hit and run

An APD officer is on paid leave after hitting a vehicle and not stopping. His commander has also been temporarily suspended.

According to an APD disciplinary memo, Officer Ryan Hancock was passing through the 1100 block of West 15th Street in December of last year when he struck a vehicle and did not stop.

Austin Police Association President Kenneth Casaday says Hancock was on his way to a crash on Mopac with his lights and siren activated.

"He was trying to thread the needle between to vehicles going up Enfield and scratched the left side of the victim's car," said Casaday.

Casaday says Hancock didn't hear the scratch, but once he learned the driver called 9-1-1 to report it, he called his supervisor who instructed him to return to the scene to take the call.

"He actually worked the collision and found himself at fault in the collision and took responsibility for it day one and to me that's where it should've ended. He found himself at fault and she was taken care of by city legal," said Casaday.

Chief Art Acevedo suspended Hancock for 90 days stating, "Hancock neglected his duties by failing to investigate whether a crash had occurred despite hearing a noise that should have registered to him that a crash might have occurred."

Acevedo also said "Hancock failed to operate his vehicle in a careful and prudent manner."

Casaday does not agree with the punishment, "I think 90 days was way excessive. I'm not sure he needed any discipline."

Hancock's Commander David Mahoney was given a 10 day suspension.

Acevedo says Mahoney as well as Hancock's lieutenant and sergeant failed to conduct a thorough investigation and address the potential criminal conduct. He says Mahoney did not watch Hancock's dash camera video until more than a month after the incident occurred.

Casaday says Hancock was involved in one prior collision, but has no other misconduct.

Hancock recently received a Life-saving medal for performing CPR on a woman who went into cardiac arrest and crashed her vehicle. He helped her regain a pulse and begin breathing.

Hancock will not appeal his suspension. Mahoney has ten days to decide whether he will.

To view the police documents, click here:

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