CHP Officers Ram Wrong-Way Drunk Driver On Highway 50 Who Wouldn't Stop
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) – Officers have arrested a person they say was under the influence and driving the wrong way on Highway 50.
The incident happened a little after 1:30 a.m. Thursday. California Highway Patrol says a caller reported seeing a driver, identified as Mauricio Santiago Lopez, going the wrong way in the #1 lane on Highway 50 near Zinfandel Drive.
A CHP aircraft soon spotted the car and officers tried pulled it over as it approached Highway 99.
With the car still going the wrong way and not stopping, two CHP patrol vehicles rammed into it to stop Lopez.
Check out chopper footage of the incident below.
Officers soon found Lopez was under the influence of alcohol. Lopez was taken into custody along with a passenger who was also inside the car.
CHP says one officer involved in the incident had minor injuries from the incident.
In recent years, Caltrans installed "do not enter" signs and sensors that alert the CHP when it detects a wrong-way driver. It also installed millions of red plastic reflectors aimed in the wrong direction to make it obvious to drivers that they're going the wrong way. The upgrades came after 24 people died in 2105 alone in California because of wrong-way drivers.
