Heated words hit the floor at a city council meeting in Paterson, New Jersey, Tuesday night -- attendees' fury directed at City Councilman Luis Velez.
Police say they are investigating a car accident from early Monday involving Velez. Video posted to social media has witnesses questioning whether he may have been drinking at the time of the T-bone crash.
Knolaisha Washington was driving the other car involved. She took video on her cellphone after the car accident on 12th Avenue and Madison.
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WATCH HERE"He was staggering, he just looked drunk," Washington claimed. "He was talking drunk and slurring."
Velez denied drinking the night of the accident. He says he was out celebrating Mother's Day with his wife and alleges Washington hit him. He claims if he appeared out of it, it's because the airbag hit his face and he felt dizzy. He told officers as much when he got out of his vehicle at the scene, warning them he might be off, he said.
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SIGN UP According to Velez, officers didn't give him a breathalyzer test because "there was no need."
Regina Washington, the mother of the other driver involved in the accident, called Velez a "damn liar."
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"That's what I think. He's a liar," Regina Washington said at the meeting. "I would like to see him put in handcuffs before he kills somebody's child."
Regina Washington points to surveillance video that she says shows the councilman blow a red light and hit her daughter -- not the other way around. Other video allegedly shows Velez urinating in the street after cops arrive.
Velez said he had no comment on that.
"I suffer diabetes and there was no bathroom," Velez says. "I was not exposing myself."
Fellow council member Michael Jackson charges Velez should have volunteered to undergo a breathalyzer and toxicology test, "but he is a liar."
In a statement, Velez said he was cooperating fully with investigators.
"I am fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation, but I want to be clear: any claims circulating on social media are completely false, and I urge residents to allow law enforcement to complete their investigation," Velez said in the statement. "As a council member, I believe no one is above the law, including myself, and traffic laws exist to protect everyone. I remain committed to transparency and accountability as the facts unfold. I will continue to pray for all those involved in this unfortunate accident."
In Paterson, the attorney general's office controls the police department. They said in a statement that police were aware of the incident and were investigating. Velez has not been charged with a crime.
