Report: McAllen commissioner disregarded stop sign before hitting bicyclist

A police report says a McAllen city commissioner disregarded a stop sign last week before hitting a 78-year-old bicyclist.

Whitacre

The crash happened on Feb. 10 as Veronica Whitacre, who is running for mayor, hit the man near the intersection of Peking Street at Business 83 at about 12:12 p.m. that day.

“I observed the Lexus was traveling north bound on Peking St. toward Business 83. I observed the driver of the Lexus did not stop at the stop sign before striking the bicyclist, as the bicyclist was traveling east bound on the south shoulder lane. The Lexus then backed up before the stop sign and the driver (Veronica) immediately exited the vehicle to check on the bicyclist,” the report states.

The officer determined this after obtaining video surveillance from a nearby Stripes that caught the crash on video.

The responding officer noted that Whitacre’s Lexus had a black scuff mark on the front right quarter below the right headlight.

“I photographed the accident scene but was unable to photograph the scuff mark on the Lexus due to Veronica leaving location while I was photographing the roadway/impact area,” the report states.

So the officer went to Whitacre’s house to photograph the scuff mark.

“I proceeded to the front of the Lexus and observed the scuff mark was no longer there. I asked Veronica what happened to the scuff mark and she stated ‘my husband wiped it off.’ I then photographed the Lexus,” the officer wrote.

The report also describes how the responding officer found Whitacre with the 78-year-old man, kneeling next to him trying to speak with him.

The report also notes she told police right away that she hit the man.

He was unable to speak with police as he complained of severe back pain.

“I observed he had bleeding cuts on his forearm and hands,” the report states.

He was taken to the hospital and found to have no significant injuries, police say.

Investigators determined Whitacre hit the man as she was making a left turn, striking the bicyclists handlebar, which caused him to lose control and fall to the ground.