Former American cyclist Lance Armstrong has been accused of crashing into two parked cars and then agreeing to let his longtime girlfriend take the blame for the accident.
The couple reportedly decided to place the blame on Anna Hansen to avoid national attention after getting into an accident in the city of Aspen, Colo., two months ago, the Associated Press reported. On Jan. 12, the disgraced cyclist was cited with speeding in snowy conditions and failing to report the accident.
"We've had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and honestly, I've got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family," Hansen told Aspen police.
"I thought, gosh, Anna Hansen hit some cars, it's not going to show up in the papers, but Lance Armstrong hit some cars, it's going to be a national story."
After a night of partying on Dec. 28, the 43-year-old struck two parked cars in the ski resort of Aspen, local police said.
Initially, Hansen claimed that she had gotten into the accident after losing control of Armstrong's GMC Yukon on the icy roads while driving back home from an Aspen Art Museum party. Since "Lance had a little bit to drink," she had decided to drive.
But according to one of the damaged vehicle's owner, Hansen had come to his house, apologizing and promising to pay for the repairs, UK MailOnline reported.
"She said, 'I'm Anna, we're the Armstrongs, my husband's Lance, he was just driving maybe too fast around the corner or something,'" the man told a police detective.
However when the unidentified man decided to call emergency services to report a hit-and-run, Hansen and Armstrong fled the scene before police arrived.
After an investigation was carried out, Hansen admitted to police authorities that she had never been behind the wheel, but they had both decided to let her take the blame.
Meanwhile Armstrong declined immediate comment, while his attorney, Pamela Mackey, didn't immediately return a call, according to IANS.
The 43-year-old, who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles for doping, is scheduled to appear in court on March 17. If convicted, he could be charged with a fine and imprisonment up to 90 days.
