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Body camera footage shows police officers save man from burning car

Posted at 10:13 AM, Apr 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-03 12:13:38-04

OKLAHOMA CITY - Body camera footage shows two Oklahoma City police officers pulling a driver to safety after a fiery crash last week.

Officer Travis Vernier saw smoke along the highway and spotted the Nissan Altima on fire Thursday night, according to KFOR.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the car had just rear-ended another on the highway a quarter mile away. It then hit a signpost and crashed, with flames shooting out from the car.

The man is seen breaking out the window of the crashed vehicle on the officer's body camera video.

That man, now identified as Raymond Pascher, is sitting in the driver seat, still conscious. He is holding his cellphone when the officer starts to talk to him.

"Another officer comes to the scene, and that's when they help the driver out of the vehicle,” said OCPD Spokesperson Megan Morgan.

When the man can't open the door of the car, Officer Christopher Tran and Vernier pull him out of the window.

"We got you,” the officers can be heard saying in the body camera video.

They then lay him down away from the burning vehicle and check for more passengers. Pascher tells them he's alone.

"While officers were dealing with the driver, they noticed there was a smell of alcoholic beverage about the person's breath,” Morgan said.

Pascher was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries and later charged with DUI.

There were no injuries in the other vehicle involved.