LAPD Narcotics Officer Held on DUI Charge

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was arrested Friday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol after he ran a red light and injured the driver of another car, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Officer Humberto Najera, 27, who was driving a black Nissan Sentra, ran the red light at Wilbur Avenue and Sherman Way at about 3:30 a.m., said Officer Eduardo Funes, an LAPD spokesman.

Najera’s car collided with a white Nissan Altima that was traveling south on Wilbur, Funes said. Police found the white car in the intersection with the 66-year-old male driver, its sole occupant, inside complaining of pain. He was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, said Lt. Gary Hallden of the LAPD’s West Valley Division.

Officers found Najera alone in his car about half a block from the intersection and said he exhibited symptoms of being drunk. He was booked at the LAPD’s West Valley station and released on his own recognizance because the victim’s injuries were minor, Hallden said.

Najera was assigned to an LAPD narcotics unit, Funes said. The LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division is investigating.