St. Patrick’s Day not green light

Ryan Carter

With the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day flourishing at local pubs

Wednesday, law-enforcement officials were out to make sure that

spirit did not turn to tragedy.

California Highway Patrol officers set up a DUI checkpoint at the

corner of Altura and Pennsylvania avenues at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“The message we want to get out to people is that on a day like

this -- St. Patrick’s Day -- people often celebrate by having a

drink, and while that’s not a bad thing to do, it is bad if you get

behind the wheel and drive after you drink,” California Highway

Patrol Officer Vince Bell said.

At the checkpoint, 10 officers specially trained in recognizing

signs of driving under the influence stopped cars randomly and began

casual conversations with drivers, looking for signs of intoxication.

If an officer found anything suspicious, the driver was asked to get

of the car for a breath test. The legal blood-alcohol limit in

California is .08.

The crosswalk was the site where Crescenta Valley High School

student Christine Seo, 15, was fatally hit last year by a sport

utility vehicle. The driver, Carnell Parks, had apparently been

drinking and was trying to pass the car that had stopped to let

Christine pass. Parks, a La Crescenta resident, pleaded no contest in

October to vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to six months in

jail.

CHP officers set up a checkpoint at the same intersection in

December, and Tuesday’s checkpoint, where teams of officers stopped

cars in clusters of three, was to prevent a similar tragedy. CHP Sgt.

Matt Armenta said Pennsylvania is a thoroughfare for some drivers

headed home from bars in Montrose and La Crescenta, which compounds

its risk.

Mike Tsaturyan, who lives nearby, said he saw the collision

involving Christine and has seen others.

“It’s a bad intersection because drivers go so fast down

Pennsylvania,” he said.

In the city, Glendale Police were also on the lookout for drunken

drivers.

“We do see a slight increase [in arrests] from DUIs due to the

nature of the holiday,” Glendale Police Lt. Kirk Palmer said. “We’re

always concerned, and have a heightened awareness because we realize

people associate this day with having parties and celebrating, and

celebrating often includes the use of alcohol.”