MESA, AZ — Authorities say four people were badly injured in a wrong-way crash along Loop 202 late last month.
The crash occurred after 1 a.m. on March 29 shutting down Loop 202 in east Mesa near the US 60.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a vehicle was reportedly driving reckless in the median.
An off-duty Phoenix officer saw the incident and tried to intervene, but the car driven by 21-year-old Javier Camarena sped away.
He reportedly drove through the median, headed northbound in the southbound lanes on the Loop 202.
At that point, he struck a vehicle with three people inside.
The driver broke his legs in three places, a female passenger sustained a fractured spine, while a male passenger suffered a broken back, court paperwork said.
Camerena, who allegedly told fire personnel that he had taken "acid" and was driving for a long time, suffered from a collapsed lung. Camarena was arrested the next day at the hospital.
The freeway was blocked for several hours for the investigation.
