Stopped car yields alleged DUI driver

A Glendale man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving under the

influence of alcohol and driving without a license after officers

discovered him parked in the middle of an intersection.

Officers found 23-year-old Leonardo Santamaria of Los Angeles

asleep at the wheel of his 1988 Toyota Corolla about 2:24 a.m.

Sunday with his engine running and the car in gear in the

intersection of Glenoaks Boulevard and Verdugo Road, Glendale Police

spokeswoman Officer Leticia Chang said. The officers tried to wake

Santamaria and had to break his window to gain entry into the car.

When Santamaria awoke, he began to drive off, but an officer drove a

police cruiser in front of his car to keep him from leaving.

No one was hurt in the incident, and the police cruiser sustained

minor damage, Chang said.

Glendale Police sent out a task force Sunday to catch drunken

drivers after the Super Bowl. The task force arrested six people and

issued 13 traffic citations. Patrol officers arrested an additional

seven people, Chang said.

Darleene Barrientos