Cristian Sanchez charged with DWI after crash into police vehicle on Sunrise Highway in Yaphank

Suffolk County police arrested a man on charges of drunken driving on Friday after he hit a police car on Sunrise Highway and attempted to flee the scene in Yaphank, Suffolk police said.

Cristian Sanchez, 25, was driving near Exit 57 when he "sideswiped the police vehicle from the left lane" just before midnight, Suffolk police said in a news release. The Coram resident then "continued driving eastbound" in his 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe "until he was pulled over," the agency said.

Sanchez was arrested by Suffolk County’s Street Takeover Task Force and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated. In New York State, an individual can be charged with aggravated DWI when their blood alcohol content is more than twice the 0.8% legal limit.

Sanchez also was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with no injuries, police said.

At his arraignment Saturday in First District Court in Central Islip, Sanchez pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records. He was represented by the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society.

If convicted, he faces jail time, fines and other penalties.

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.