Around 11 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2026, a Weld County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over a suspected drunk driver at 18th Street and Highway 85 in Greeley. The deputy stopped and activated his emergency lights to signal the driver to pull over. Instead of stopping, 26-year-old Oscar Lopez Mendoza allegedly kept driving and struck the front left quarter panel of the deputy’s patrol car. The deputy arrested Mendoza at the scene. A subsequent investigation found that Mendoza was driving on a revoked license — revoked because of a prior DUI conviction. (FOX31/KDVR, September 28, 2026, citing the Greeley Police Department press release)
No injuries to the deputy have been reported. The investigation is ongoing and the Greeley Police Department’s press release formed the basis of initial reporting. Charges against Mendoza had not been formally announced as of this writing.
This crash raises legal questions that extend well beyond a traffic stop gone wrong. A driver with a revoked license — revoked for a prior DUI — who allegedly strikes a law enforcement officer’s patrol car while suspected of DUI a second time has created a legal situation with multiple layers. Understanding those layers matters both for the deputy and for anyone trying to understand what Colorado law does in circumstances like these.
The first problem is driving under the influence. Under C.R.S. Section 42-4-1301, DUI means operating a vehicle while substantially incapable of doing so safely due to alcohol or drugs. The deputy suspected DUI because Mendoza’s vehicle took a wide turn across a double yellow line — a specific observable indicator of impaired driving that Colorado law enforcement routinely uses to establish probable cause for a DUI stop.
The second problem is driving on a revoked license. Under C.R.S. Section 42-2-138, operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license is a misdemeanor. The reason for Mendoza’s revocation compounds the situation significantly — a license revoked for a prior DUI conviction means Mendoza had already demonstrated the specific danger that Colorado’s revocation system is designed to prevent. Driving anyway, while again suspected of DUI, reflects a deliberate and repeated disregard for that system.
The third problem is failing to yield and then striking the deputy’s patrol vehicle. Under C.R.S. Section 42-4-705, all drivers are required to comply with signals from law enforcement officers directing traffic or conducting stops. Continuing to drive when a deputy has activated lights to signal a stop is a violation of that duty. Striking the patrol car in the process escalates the legal consequences substantially.
The specific charges filed against Mendoza will be determined by the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Based on the facts as reported, several distinct criminal charges are possible.
If investigators determine the deputy sustained any physical injury from the impact, even a minor one, vehicular assault becomes a possibility. Under C.R.S. Section 18-3-205, vehicular assault occurs when a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs causes serious bodily injury to another person through that impaired operation. Even without serious bodily injury, third-degree assault on a peace officer under C.R.S. Section 18-3-203 may apply if the impact caused any physical contact with the officer.
On top of potential assault charges, Mendoza faces DUI, driving with a revoked license, and failure to yield to a law enforcement signal. The prior DUI conviction that caused the revocation is also relevant — prosecutors and courts treat repeat DUI-related conduct as an aggravating factor in charging and sentencing decisions.
This blog has addressed similar questions before — most recently in the context of the DPD motorcycle officer struck near West 13th and Bannock Street last week. The legal framework is the same here, and it is worth understanding clearly.
A law enforcement officer injured by a civilian driver’s negligence has two separate legal avenues.
The first is workers’ compensation. Under C.R.S. Section 8-41-401, Colorado’s workers’ compensation system covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages for on-duty injuries. For a Weld County deputy hurt while conducting a traffic stop, workers’ comp covers the immediate medical and income consequences.
Workers’ compensation does not cover the full value of a serious injury. It does not compensate for pain and suffering, long-term physical consequences, or the difference between what the injury costs and what workers’ comp provides. A civil claim against the driver fills those gaps.
In a civil case, the driver’s conduct — operating under the influence, on a revoked license, striking a patrol vehicle — is evidence of negligence that is very difficult to contest. And because the revocation was itself caused by a prior DUI, the pattern of behavior opens the door to exemplary damages under C.R.S. Section 13-21-102. A driver who has already had a DUI conviction, had their license revoked as a result, and then drove again while allegedly impaired and struck a law enforcement officer demonstrates exactly the kind of willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others that the exemplary damages statute addresses.
In crashes involving DUI, the impairment itself is the primary liability driver. But the revoked license adds a layer that changes the character of the conduct.
A first-time DUI driver who causes a crash has made a dangerous choice without prior legal consequences specifically for that choice. A driver whose license was revoked for DUI who then drives again while allegedly impaired has made that same dangerous choice after the legal system explicitly told them their driving privileges were suspended because of it.
That distinction matters in both the criminal and civil context. Criminally, it supports more serious charges and heavier sentencing. Civilly, it supports the argument that the driver’s conduct was not merely negligent but willful — the foundation of an exemplary damages claim.
The intersection of Highway 85 and 18th Street in Greeley is a busy corridor connecting residential and commercial areas of northern Weld County. At 11 p.m. on a Saturday, an officer conducting a routine traffic stop on that corridor should not face the risk of a suspected drunk driver failing to yield and striking his vehicle.
That risk is not hypothetical. Colorado law enforcement officers are struck by vehicles — including by impaired drivers — with troubling frequency. The legal framework described in this blog exists to protect officers, to compensate them when they are hurt, and to hold responsible drivers accountable beyond what criminal penalties alone accomplish.
The facts in this blog are drawn from FOX31/KDVR’s reporting, which cited the Greeley Police Department press release as its source. Formal charges against Oscar Lopez Mendoza had not been filed or announced as of this writing. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What the documented facts establish is that a Weld County deputy conducting a lawful traffic stop was struck by a vehicle driven by a person with a revoked license who was suspected of DUI for the second time. The deputy was doing his job. He deserves to understand his full legal rights — not just the workers’ comp form.
Bowman Law handles serious motor vehicle accident cases involving impaired drivers throughout Greeley, Weld County, and across Colorado. Whether you are a law enforcement officer, a civilian driver, or a passenger affected by a DUI crash, we are available for a confidential conversation at no charge and no obligation.
Call us at 720-863-6904 or visit coloradopersonalinjuryhelp.com whenever you are ready.
Owner and Managing Attorney
Jerry Bowman, J.D., M.A., Owner and managing attorney of Bowman Law LLC, takes his responsibility to the legal profession seriously and dedicates his time and effort to providing quality and competent legal representation to clients in Denver and throughout all of Colorado. He holds an MA in Political Science from Wayne State University and earned his law degree in two and a half years from Michigan State University College of Law.
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