Driver of car that struck man before crashing into power pole arrested by El Paso police

UPDATE, May 6: The driver of a car that struck a a man sitting on a bench before slamming into an electric pole and rolling over in the Lower Valley has been arrested, El Paso police said Thursday as they also revealed that the jailed motorist had a child with him in the car at the time of the crash.

The incident happened Wednesday in the 11100 block of Montwood Drive, causing the closure of the roadway for hours and triggering a power outage for hundreds in the area.

26–year-old Aaron Corey Ruiz was being held in the El Paso County Detention Facility on $6,000 bond on charges of accident involving damage to a vehicle and failure to identify. Police said additional charges stemming from the crash are pending.

Investigators said Ruiz apparently lost control of his car while rounding a curve in the road; he and the child inside the vehicle suffered only minor injuries. But authorities indicated the man struck while sitting on a bench waiting for a bus, 64–year-old Guillermo Guzman, remained hospitalized Thursday in serious condition with a leg injury at Del Sol Medical Center.

Following the crash, police contend that Ruiz made numerous false statements to investigators and they also discovered he had an outstanding criminal warrant involving another vehicle collision.

ORIGINAL REPORT, May 5: EL PASO, Texas -- A portion of Montwood Drive in east El Paso was shut down after a car crashed into an electric pole and overturned on Wednesday around noon.

A man suffered serious injuries in the rollover crash that happened on Montwood at Tom Bolt. Police at the scene indicated he was sitting on a nearby bench when he was struck by the car before it hit the pole.

All lanes of traffic on Montwood between Lee Elder and Mermaid were closed due to the downed electric pole.

In addition, El Paso Electric reported about 230 customers without power as a result of the downed pole; crews were working to restore power.