Kent Police arrested a 48-year-old man for investigation of DUI after a 911 caller reported a car stopped in the roadway, with the engine running and the driver apparently passed out.
An officer responded at about 2:17 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 to a welfare check in the 22400 block of 88th Avenue South, according to a Dec. 11 Kent Police Facebook post.
The officer noted that the vehicle was now turned off, however it was still blocking the roadway just after a sharp curve, according to police. The driver was passed out but was breathing. Additional officers arrived and placed their patrol cars to pin the suspect vehicle in place.
“It is not uncommon for drivers who are intoxicated and passed out to startle when we wake them,” according to a police statement. “Some decide to try to drive off, so these preventative steps are crucial to maintaining the safety of the roadway, the suspect and the officers.”
The officers tried to wake the driver to no avail, according to police. They had to reportedly physically assist him from the vehicle and noted that he was unable to do it on his own due to his intoxication.
He did not know where he was and didn’t know why he was being contacted, according to police. He was placed into a patrol vehicle and eventually driven to the Police Department where he was medically evaluated by Puget Sound Fire personnel.
The man reportedly blew over an 0.19 blood-alcohol level, according to police. The legal blood-alcohol limit to drive a personal vehicle in Washington state is under 0.08. Officers booked the man into jail.
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