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The San Marcos Police Department building was evacuated Tuesday after an officer suffered a medical issue while driving and struck a gas main and crashed into a nearby manufacturing building, officials said.
The accident occurred at approximately 8:53 p.m. on Tuesday in the SMPD employee entrance driveway, which runs between police headquarters located at 2300 South Interstate 35 and Thermon Manufacturing. The officer hit the gas meter located in between the two buildings and also hit a building at Thermon, which was closed at the time.
“Officers in and around the police department observed the wreckage and found the injured officer inside her vehicle,” Interim Police Chief Bob Klett said in a statement. “They were able to extract her from the vehicle and move her to a safe location away from the leaking gas. We’re very thankful that the incident and the injuries were minor.”
The officer was transported to Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle with minor injuries and was admitted for observation, officials said.
The San Marcos Fire Department and Centerpoint Energy responded to the gas leak and were able to quickly stop it.
SMPD Headquarters was temporarily evacuated for approximately an hour and a half because of the gas leak, officials said. During the evacuation, 9-11 operations were transferred to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office dispatch until normal operations were resumed prior to 11 p.m., SMPD said.
