Passenger in vehicle charged with California DUI after crash

 Posted on August 01, 2012 in DUI

The California Highway Patrol has arrested a passenger who was riding in a car involved in a car accident. The Geyserville, California, man reportedly was riding in the car when it crashed on Highway 101 Friday evening. Police accuse the passenger in the vehicle of driving under the influence and a form California domestic violence charges.

Law enforcement says that a 19-year-old Geyserville woman was driving a Mazda Protégé on North bound Highway 101 shortly before 10:00 p.m. when the car left the pavement. Emergency responders arrived at the car accident scene to find the Mazda disabled about 100 feet down an embankment. The woman says that she lost control of the vehicle after her 28-year-old boyfriend had become agitated while riding in the car.

The CHP says that the woman accuses her boyfriend of speaking in a threatening manner and punching the interior of the car while she was cruising at around 65 to 70 miles per hour along the highway. The woman claims that her boyfriend grabbed the emergency brake, causing the car to crash.

Now the CHP claims that the passenger took physical control of the Mazda when he allegedly grabbed the emergency brake.

The CHP has that after the Mazda careened down the embankment, the man ran from the scene on foot. Officers went to the man's home and questioned him about the accident. Law enforcement claims that they noticed signs of impairment during the accident investigation, and ultimately arrested the man.

He was booked into jail on suspicion of DUI, excessive blood alcohol and making criminal threats. Making criminal threats against an intimate partner is a form of domestic violence charges under California law.

Source: Healdsburg Patch, "28-Year Old Man Arrested on DUI Charges after 101 Crash," Keri Brenner, July 30, 2012