Crime & Safety
Wild DUI Checkpoint: Driver Runs Red Light, Nearly Hits Officer, Flees
During another stop, a passenger got out of a car and allegedly became combative with officers. The passenger was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public.
South San Francisco police arrested five people on drunken driving charges during a busy sobriety checkpoint on Saturday night that included a near miss involving a fleeing red-light runner and struggles with intoxicated drivers.
At the checkpoint, which was set up on Westborough Boulevard from 9 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday, officers screened 820 vehicles, police said.
In addition to the five DUI arrests, police also cited and arrested 16 drivers for being unlicensed or driving with a suspended license. Another 17 drivers were cited, police said.
One of the DUI arrests involved a driver who was allegedly under the influence of a combination of alcohol and suspected synthetic marijuana. That driver allegedly became combative with police, and was also arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, police said.
Another driver allegedly ran a red light, struck a stop sign and nearly hit an officer before fleeing, according to police. That driver was stopped after a short chase and arrested on suspicion of DUI and evading a police officer, police said.
During another stop, a passenger got out of a car and allegedly became combative with officers. The passenger was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public.
And another driver was arrested on an outstanding DUI warrant.
South San Francisco police will be conducting three additional checkpoints in the coming year.
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