Driver Indicted for DWI Racing Crash That Injured Biker

SAN ANGELO— A San Angelo driver has been indicted for causing injury to another individual while racing on the roads in San Angelo.

Anthony Padilla, 30, of San Angelo, was indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury in December for Racing on the Highway Causing Serious Bodily Injury.

According to court documents, on July 23, 2021, San Angelo Police Officers were sent to the 200 block of North Koenigheim for a motor vehicle crash. On scene, officers located a biker who was bleeding profusely from his head and was struggling to breathe. He was provided medical attention and taken to the hospital.   

The biker was taken to Shannon Medical Center and officers spoke to a witness. They learned that the motorcycle and a vehicle were racing in the northbound lanes of North Koenigheim and were moving at a high rate of speed. Then, the witness saw the motorcycle lose control and crash. The debris field stretched for two to three blocks as there were skid marks and motorcycle debris.

The defendant, identified as Padilla, was found walking up to his vehicle. His breath smelled of alcohol and said that he did not know if his friend had been drinking alcohol previous to meeting up with him. Padilla stated that he only consumed two beers and a mixed drink. A San Angelo Police Sergeant performed a DWI investigation and Padilla was subsequently placed under arrested for DWI.

During the crash, the biker was thrown off the motorcycle as he went off the road. He suffered life threatening injuries.

Video surveillance was obtained from Jack’s Convenience Store where both the vehicle and motorcycle were observed traveling at a high rate of speed. Both vehicles lost control, which resulted in the motorcycle leaving the roadway and crashing. Luckily, no other vehicles were involved or even on the road at the time of the crash.

Padilla was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated on July 23, 2021, and was released on July 26, 2021. Then, on November 24, 2021, he was arrested for Racing on the Highway Causing Serious Bodily Injury and was released on November 26, 2021, on $40,000 bond. Padilla was arrested again on May 5, 2023, for Driving While Intoxicated and Striking a Fixture or Highway Landscape.

Padilla is next due in court on March 5, 2024, for an initial pre-trial.