However, we did have a few witnesses. Our driver had the misfortune to crash between a halfway house and some very low income apartments. Residents of both places just so happened to be awake and outside at the time of the accident. Amazingly enough, the best witness was neither high nor intoxicated. She told us that she heard the cars before she saw them. When they came into view, the vehicle involved in the accident was leading what appeared to be a street race against another car. The vehicle came to a curve that led to a freeway entrance ramp. The driver lost control at the beginning of the curve, clipped a concrete post, started sliding sideways, and went over a small median. When the vehicle came down off the median, the driver's side wheels bit into the concrete and the vehicle flipped onto its roof and slid across the road and up onto the sidewalk. At that point, our witness said that everyone that was outside started running toward the vehicle. As they approached, the driver crawled out of the vehicle. He walked to our witness and said that he was going to call the police and then continued walking. She went on to describe the driver to us. A few minutes later, I saw a male matching the description walking on the sidewalk across the parking lot behind the flipped over car. I yelled at the male to stop. We made eye contact, and the male turned around and took off running. I did what experienced officers do, I used the police car to chase him. B was in the area looking for the driver as well and we both caught him about a block away. The male had a few minor cuts on his arms and face. He was also covered in glass dust. He looked like he was wearing glitter. I asked him why he ran from me, and he played stupid. He said, "I do not know what you are talking about, I was just walking down the sidewalk." We then asked why he left the scene of an accident, and again he played stupid. "I was at the club with some friends and my car was stolen. I do not know how I got here."
We took him into custody and returned to the accident scene. Our witness positively identified him as the male that crawled out of the car. He was the only person in the car, so he was our driver. We knew he was the driver, but the DA's office needs a "wheel witness", someone that can state who was driving the vehicle. I called for a DWI task force unit, who came to the scene. The male finally admitted to the task force unit that he had been in the vehicle, but stated that someone else was driving. I guess that "person" just vanished. The male refused all tests and later refused to give a breath sample at the station. He had two previous arrests for DWI with one conviction. It was not his first rodeo.
The wrecker driver used chains to flip the vehicle. Then he had to use some dollies on the back wheels since they were not in rolling condition. He then used his spoons and boom to pick up the front of the car. As he was driving away with the car, he hit a bump and the car fell off the spoons. Due to the condition of the vehicle, there was not any new damage to worry about. Ir seems like there is never a shortage of crazy events and drunk people to deal with.
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