Wife of SAPD officer charged in hit-and-run crash that left him in coma

Diana Lopez was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid on Feb. 2, 2016 in Laredo. Diana Lopez was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid on Feb. 2, 2016 in Laredo. Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Wife of SAPD officer charged in hit-and-run crash that left him in coma 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The wife of a San Antonio Police Department officer who nearly lost his life in a hit-and-run crash on New Year’s Eve was driving the SUV that slammed into him, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Diana Marileen Lopez, 26, was arrested in Laredo on Tuesday on a third-degree felony charge of failure to stop and render aid. Her arrest comes a month after the crash that left Ernesto Vasquez critically injured on the North Side just before the turn of the new year.

RELATED: Off-duty San Antonio police officer, woman struck in separate New Year's hit-and-run incidents

The seven-year veteran of the department remains unresponsive at a long-term rehabilitation facility, SAPD Chief William McManus said Tuesday.

Lopez had been headed south in the 12600 block of Blanco Road in a small red SUV when she slammed into Vasquez as he walked across the street around 11:15 p.m., according to SAPD. He was off-duty at the time.

McManus said it is unclear whether Lopez intended to run her husband down in the street, or whether the crash was an accident.

What is clear, he said, is that she made the choice to leave the scene of the crash.

“We work on what we know. What we know is that she did not stop to render aid,” he said.

RELATED: San Antonio officer still in coma after NYE hit-and-run

McManus also said Lopez never visited Vasquez in the hospital following the incident.

Lopez is currently being held at the Webb County Jail awaiting extradition to San Antonio.

“These types of cases are tragic regardless of who is involved,” McManus said. “When you know the individual, when you work with the individual on the street every day, it affects you more personally.”

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA