Drunk Driving Suspect Allegedly Rams Two Patrol Cars, Fights with Officers During Arrest near Gridley
GRIDLEY, CA — Officers with the Oroville Division of the California Highway Patrol recently arrested a motorist on suspicion of drunk driving on a suspended license and felony evading of a peace officer.
Suspect Vehicle | Courtesy of Oroville CHP
According to a press release by the California Highway Patrol, Oroville division officers were dispatched on the afternoon of Saturday, April 11, to investigate reports of a suspected drunk driver. The reports indicated that the suspect vehicle was swerving and being driven erratically on State Route 99 in the Gridley area.
Responding officers located the vehicle and pulled over the driver near Evans Reiner Road. Officers reportedly observed signs of the driver possibly being impaired and asked them to exit the vehicle, which they allegedly refused.
Additional officers responded to the scene to provide assistance, but the driver allegedly fled the scene southbound on SR-99 into Sutter County. Deputies with the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance in deploying spike strips across the road, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and come to a stop near SR-99 and Bishop Avenue.
After again refusing commands to exit the vehicle, the driver allegedly tried to flee again and lost control of the vehicle for the second time near Paseo Road. At this point, officers reportedly blocked him in to prevent further escape attempts.
The driver then allegedly rammed two patrol vehicles. When officers tried to take them into custody, the suspect allegedly became combative, resulting in minor injuries to an officer and on-scene personnel.
Officers were ultimately able to subdue the suspect and take them into custody. The suspect allegedly refused both Field Sobriety Tests and chemical tests, necessitating a search warrant to obtain a blood sample from the suspect to determine their blood-alcohol level.
After the warrant was approved, the suspect was reportedly taken to an area hospital for medical evaluation, blood draw, and booking clearance.
The driver was later booked into the Butte County jail on suspicion of resisting a peace officer, felony evading, felony vandalism, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and driving on a license suspended due to DUI, according to the CHP.
Headline Photo: Stock Image
