Advertisement Lowell police officer charged with OUI in fatal crash Officer Eric Wayne also arrested in 2013 on OUI charge Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Lowell police officer has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and operating under the influence of liquor after a fatal crash in Methuen early Saturday morning.Police say Officer Eric Wayne, 41, was traveling westbound on Riverside Drive when his Land Rover crossed over the double yellow line and collided with a Mercury Mountaineer. That vehicle was driven by 26-year-old Briant Paula, of Lawrence, who was pronounced dead at Lawrence General Hospital, officials said.The off-duty officer refused medical treatment and was arrested at the scene at about 12:30 a.m., police said. He is also charged with having an open container of alcohol and is being held on $500,000 cash bail.This is not the first time Wayne has been arrested for driving under the influence.The Lowell Sun reported that in July 2013 Wayne was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. No one was injured in that incident, where police said they found an open bottle of beer.Police Superintendent William Taylor told the newspaper that Wayne was placed on paid administrative leave after the previous arrest but was reinstated to the force in June. The court case stemming from that incident is still pending.Paula's parents said their son was picking his sister up from work, something he does almost daily. They said Saturday was the worst day of their life."He was the best son on Earth and the best person," Maria Colon said.A family friend described Paula as respectful."He was a wonderful young man," Maria Bermudez said. "He was an amazing person."A witness told NewsCenter 5 that he saw a mangled mass after the loud crash, and said Wayne told police that he was "just trying to get out of the way."Wayne was profiled by The Boston Globe in May as Lowell's "unofficial vegan mayor" for his love of healthy food. He had a small role in "The Fighter" movie, according to The Sun, and participated in The Greater Lowell Golden Gloves and a North American Grappling Association contest."I feel like I haven't aged in seven years," Wayne told The Globe about his passion for raw food.He ran the Boston Marathon this year to raise money for charity after meeting with Kevin Corcoran, whose wife, Celeste, lost her legs in the Marathon bombing, according to The Globe. Wayne is also the son of a decorated Lowell police detective who died in 2009.