While Cinco de Mayo weekend wasn’t a “maximum enforcement” period on the roads for Santa Clarita Valley law enforcement officials, there were still a slew of DUI arrests.
CHP and Sheriff’s Department records indicate there were 18 DUI arrests from May 4-6, according to both law enforcement agencies’ arrest records.
There were also six arrests for alleged possession of a controlled substance, three more suspects arrested for allegedly being drunk in public and two were arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested 13 total, according to CHP records, and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested five more, according to the SCV’s Sheriff’s Station arrest logs. (CHP officers sometimes book arrestees at LAPD’s Van Nuys jail in Los Angeles depending on where the arrest is made, according to Josh Greengard, CHP spokesman.)
“It was just normal shifts (for patrol),” Greengard said, noting an average weekend nets anywhere from approximately seven to 12 DUI incidents, but that the holidays due tend to create additional work. “Obviously on holiday weekends, it’s a little bit busier.”
One thing CHP officers were happy about regarding the arrests is that all of the incidents ended without any pursuits, any significant use of force, and no one was injured, Greengard said.
“Potentially, multiple lives were saved with those arrests, and those lives could be a brother, sister, mom dad, uncle, aunt, etc.,” he said. “You just never know when you make dangerous choices like that behind the wheel.”
