Injured Lubbock Police Officer Corey Owens sued Jesse Tello for $1 million or more on Friday afternoon.
Tello, 20, of Lubbock has been charged with aggravated assault and was held Monday morning in the Lubbock County Detention Center in lieu of $200,000 bond.
The lawsuit said in the early morning hours of May 30 Tello was driving a 2001 Buick Century and hit Officer Owens “causing him significant personal injuries.” The lawsuit accused Tello of failing to operate at a safe speed, failing to control his vehicle, failure to keep a lookout, and other failures.
The lawsuit said Tello was operating a vehicle while intoxicated “with actual conscious indifference to the rights, safety and welfare of others.” The lawsuit accused Tello of negligence per se.
A criminal court record filed in early June went into more detail – saying Tello had the smell of alcohol on his breath and could not recite the alphabet. The criminal complaint also said Officer Owens’ right foot was crushed and later had to be amputated.
Owens was directing traffic at a flooded intersection. According to the criminal complaint, there was evidence Tello hit Owens and Owen’s police unit at 71 miles per hour.
The lawsuit said Tello should be made to pay damages for pain, anguish, disfigurement, and lost wages.
Tello was served with notice of the lawsuit Friday in the jail. He has not yet provided his side of the story in court records.
As of Monday, Owens was still on leave from LPD. There have been several fundraisers as a show of community support for Owens since May 30. The next such fundraiser will be July 25 at Indiana Baptist Church, 9507 Indiana Avenue, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
