Veteran Officer Booked in Drunk Driving, Assault
An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after hitting a California Highway Patrol officer, then fleeing, authorities said Thursday.
Officer Paul Lopez, a 15-year veteran assigned to the LAPD’s 77th Street Division, was booked Wednesday night at Van Nuys jail for allegedly driving under the influence as well as assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, said CHP Officer Lou Aviles.
The incident began around 8 p.m. when CHP officers had stopped traffic for an accident on the northbound Hollywood Freeway near Vineland Avenue. They noticed a driver trying to get around the bottleneck by using the right shoulder.
“One officer motioned for the driver to stop,” Aviles said. “The driver did not follow the officer’s directive and accelerated toward him. The officer attempted to run out of the way. The car passed by and hit the officer in the side.”
The 37-year-old Lopez then exited the freeway at Vineland Avenue and turned right on Aqua Vista Street before coming to a stop behind traffic, Aviles said. There he was arrested by CHP officers.
Aviles described the officer’s injuries as minor. “He got lucky,” he said. “He got clipped by the mirror.”
A field sobriety test measured Lopez’s blood-alcohol level at 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit to drive in California, Aviles said.
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