CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A driver and passenger were cut out of a vehicle Tuesday night after a car crash, according to Chula Vista firefighters. Authorities said the driver was then arrested on suspicion of DUI. It was one of several DUI arrests reported throughout San Diego.
A fire crew responded to the Chula Vista scene at the intersection of East Palomar Street and Santa Alicia Avenue just before 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The two occupants of the vehicle became trapped after the driver of the sedan hopped a curb and hit a tree, ending up on a median.
"A bystander said the sedan crashed into a tree and sheered off a light post in the median," Chula Vista Police Department watch commander Lt. Gino Grippo said
The 25-year-old male driver was placed under arrest but was released to a hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the crash.
Grippo added that there may have been another unidentified vehicle involved in the Chula Vista incident which fled the scene.
Chula Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief David Albright said a full rescue response, which included a fire truck, two engines, and an ambulance, responded to the accident scene.
"The man and his passenger were pinned in their vehicle on one side of the tree," Albright said. "It took firefighters about 15 minutes to cut them out."
Albright said both crash victims sustained minor injuries.
The arrest in Chula Vista was one of several that occurred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. A man allegedly passed out while driving on Mt. Helix in La Mesa around 6 a.m. on Christmas with gifts for his family in the backseat. His van reportedly rolled backwards off the road hitting a large rock, wall and SUV. Officers said a bottle of tequila fell out of the man's vehicle when they opened the door.
