Austin Police Officer Leonardo Quintana Arrested for DWI
APD Officer Leonardo Quintana was arrested for DWI in Williamson County after he wrecked his car early January 11, 2009.
The police officer who shot and killed 18-year old Nathaniel Sanders has been arrested for DWI in Williamson County. Leonardo Quintana was found at the scene of a crash around 5:00 am Tuesday in Leander, northwest of Austin. He reportedly smelled of alcohol and showed signs of impairment. Quintana refused to submit to a breath or blood test to check his blood alcohol content.
Quintana was booked into the Williamson County Jail by the county Sheriff's Office on charges of driving while intoxicated. He posted a $1,000 bond and was released around 9:30 am. Officials with the Austin Police Department say that Quintana has been placed on restrictive leave, with pay. They refused further comment on the DWI arrest.
Quintana was found to have been in violation of APD policy during the Sanders shooting, for not activating his dashboard camera when he approached the vehicle Sanders was sleeping in. Quintana told investigators he struggled with Sanders over a gun and ultimately fired his weapon three times. He was cleared of any wrongdoing, but an external investigation found evidence of bias on the part of the internal affairs officers. Quintana retained his position with APD, but a detective involved with the internal investigation was fired.
