There's some good news out of Modesto in the recovery of a police officer who was injured in a horrific car accident January 16 after a suspected DUI driver ran a stop sign and destroyed the patrol car the officer was driving.
Modesto police posted to the department's Facebook page Tuesday night that Officer Juan Arroyo is out of the Intensive Care Unit and is expected to recover.
The crashed happened last week after officers attempted to stop Nazario Catillo, 25, who was driving a Toyota Tundra in the airport neighborhood of Modesto.
Police officials say Arroyo tried to assist in the traffic stop, but was broadsided when Castillo ran a stop sign.
Pictures of the accident show the patrol car Arroyo was driving was completely totaled.
In April 2013, ABC10 News profiled Officer Arroyo and his twin brother, Luis, who also works in the Modesto Police Department.
The identical twin brothers, raised by and immigrant farm working family in south Modesto, said they'd both wanted to be police officers since they were kids and even joined the force as police explorers when they were teens.
“We worry about everybody, but more so, I worry about him," Juan said of his brother in April 2016. "Whenever I hear something big going on, I try to call him or text him and see if he's involved just because he's my brother."
According to Modesto police, Arroyo is expected to make a full recovery.
"[Arroyo] is even planning a Police Week trip next year to Washington D.C.," the department said. "He wishes to thank everyone for your tremendous and motivational support."
