Texas TV Trucks Caught In Drag Race

 

EL PASO, TX (March 14, 2008) - Two live television broadcast trucks were caught on video at an El Paso, TX, drag strip performing an impromptu drag race, costing one of the drivers his job. The other news crew will reportedly be disciplined, but not fired.

The live trucks from KVIA-TV ABC7 and KDBC-TV CBS4 were at the El Paso Sand Drags & Raceway drag strip for a news story on drag racing when, according to reports, fans convinced crews from the two stations to race each other.

The El Paso Times reports that KVIA-TV's Rick Cabrera, a passenger in their truck, and driver Richie Zamora, will face disciplinary action but will not be fired, while KDBC-TV's Charlie Bernal was fired for the stunt. Cabrera was recently named as the replacement for KVIA-TV's retiring anchor, Gary Warner, the Times reports.

Cabrera has issued an apology in a written statement on the station's Web site. "I'm sorry and I wish they [co-workers] didn't have to deal with the backlash resulting from my poor judgement," Cabrera wrote.

The news crews were at the drag strip doing a story that was in response to a person being killed during a highway drag race on Interstate 10 the previous day.

The video has been making its way around the Internet on YouTube and has been replayed multiple times on CNN, where Anderson Cooper voiced his disapproval saying, "Stay classy, El Paso."

 

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