LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man is behind bars after rear-ending into a Nevada State Police trooper's patrol car on U.S. 95 early Thursday morning.
It happened at approximately 4 a.m. just north of Charleston Boulevard. The trooper, who has not been identified publicly, had just finished a traffic stop on the right shoulder of the highway, NSP said. His red-and-blue emergency lights were still activated when a car slammed into his patrol vehicle from behind.
The trooper had just gotten back into his car and didn't have time to put on his seat belt before the impact, a public information officer for Nevada State Police told 13 Action News. He is said to be battered and sore, but otherwise doing OK.
![Driver hits NSP patrol car on highway](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/33ca1d3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/1280x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbc%2Fad%2F94cbb49249b4b46c8afa96024f11%2Fnsp-trooper-hit-on-fwy-3.jpeg)
The driver was identified as 48-year-old Jay Christopher Tate. He was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
"This is why you have to plan ahead and be responsible before getting behind the wheel," state police said in a Facebook post about the crash. "Always pay full ATTENTION and NEVER drive impaired because #LivesAreOnTheLine."