Durham Assistant Police Chief Raul Garcia has been placed on administrative leave after investigators say he was involved in a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 540 while driving a city-owned vehicle. No serious injuries were reported in the collision, but Garcia now faces at least three charges, including hit-and-run, as the North Carolina State Highway Patrol continues its investigation.
According to a State Highway Patrol collision report cited by ABC11 News, Garcia's vehicle veered into an adjacent lane and struck another vehicle on I-540. The report indicates Garcia continued driving after the collision rather than stopping at the scene, and it lists his address as Durham City Hall. Investigators have since issued Garcia a citation in connection with the crash, and the vehicle involved is registered to the City of Durham, per the same report.
Under North Carolina law, drivers who know or reasonably should know they were involved in a crash are required to immediately stop, render reasonable assistance, and remain at the scene until officers release them, according to Randall Law. Separately, state statute allows the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles to suspend a driver's license when an unreported crash causes more than $1,000 in property damage, per a summary of North Carolina accident law. It remains unclear exactly how much property damage resulted from the I-540 crash.
Durham Police Says It Is Aware of the Allegations
The Durham Police Department has acknowledged it is aware of the allegations involving Garcia, the article notes. Durham City Council member Leo Williams said he had been made aware of the allegations and was closely monitoring the investigation, adding that placing Garcia on administrative leave is part of standard protocol. The State Highway Patrol had not answered a request for updates on the investigation at the time the article was published, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Garcia's role atop the department's command staff makes the case notable beyond a typical traffic citation. Prior to being placed on leave, he served on the executive staff as Assistant Chief overseeing Zone B of the Field Operations Bureau, according to the City of Durham. He joined the Durham Police Department in 2003 after six years in the United States Army, and rose through patrol, District 4 Criminal Investigations, the Homicide Unit and an FBI task force assignment before being promoted to lieutenant in February 2021.
A Trailblazer Within the Department
Garcia made history as the first Hispanic police captain in Durham Police Department history and has been recognized as the agency's highest-ranking Hispanic officer, according to department accounts. He was raised in Los Angeles as a first-generation Mexican-American before relocating to North Carolina to build his law enforcement career.
The crash and Garcia's leave come as Durham Police Department leadership is already in flux. Chief Patrice Andrews announced her retirement in January 2026 after leading the department since November 2021 and closing out a 25-year law enforcement career, as reported by ABC11 News. City leadership directories currently list Walter F. Tate Jr. as interim police chief, alongside Deputy Chiefs Jermaine Jackson, Mark Clancy and Walter Tate overseeing the department's executive command structure.
The Durham Police Department serves a jurisdiction spanning 110.5 square miles and a population exceeding 250,000 residents, with roughly 548 sworn officers and 119 civilian personnel, according to information compiled on Wikipedia. State troopers typically handle collision investigations involving municipal vehicles independently, detailing vehicle ownership and driver licensing information as part of the liability review process. What specific charges Garcia ultimately faces beyond hit-and-run, and whether internal affairs will pursue separate disciplinary action, remain open questions as the State Highway Patrol's investigation continues.
