Police are searching for a suspect whose wrist was partially severed after he crashed his car in a police chase.
According to a police report obtained by KCCI News, Des Moines, Iowa police officers were dispatched to Southeast 18th Court around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday in response to multiple reports of a man and a woman screaming at each other.
Police arrived and approached a man sitting in a gray Mazda van that was stopped with its lights turned off. As officers walked towards the van, the suspect sped away.
The man driving the van was later identified as Byron Orlando Carmenate,
The officers pursued the van but lost sight of the vehicle after Carmenate drove through the intersection of Southeast 22nd Street and East Park Avenue without stopping.
Officers later spotted the van after they noticed debris in the roadway on Southeast 23rd Street. According to nearby officers, Carmenate’s van apparently rolled over and struck multiple objects in the process, including mailboxes, several trees and a fire hydrant.
Carmenate apparently exited through the passenger side window of the van and fled from police on foot. Officers caught up to Carmenate in the 3200 block of Southeast 23rd Street, where he was found trying to crawl underneath a tree.
Officers also noted in the report that Carmenate’s right hand appeared to be “partially severed at the wrist” and that he smelled strongly of alcohol.
Carmenate was transported to Mercy Hospital for treatment, but he left at about 10 a.m. before he was medically discharged.
“We do not guard patients, either someone brought in by police or any individual brought into the organization. They all have the ability to leave against medical advice,” said Gregg Lagan, of Mercy Medical Center.
Authorities are still searching for Carmenate, who faces charges for the incident.
