9 arrested in Montrose after Oktoberfest

Police arrested nine motorists Saturday on suspicion of drunk driving in the area of Montrose’s 34th annual Oktoberfest on Honolulu Avenue, officials said.

Officers from Glendale, Burbank and South Pasadena patrolled the area surrounding the Bavarian-themed event, which was held from noon to 11 p.m. on the 2300 and 2400 block of Honolulu Avenue, as part of the “Avoid the 100” anti-DUI campaign, police said.

Police stopped 75 vehicles during saturation patrols, and administered 17 sobriety tests on motorists, Glendale Police Sgt. Michael Glassick said.

Eight vehicles were also impounded and two motorists were arrested on suspicion of driving without a valid license or with a suspended or revoked license, he said.

Police arrested another five people in connection with narcotics violations, Glassick said.

Officers also encountered several festival attendees who were drunk, but most were accompanied by friends or family who cared for them, Sgt. Dennis Smith said.

Paramedics, however, took a 16-year-old girl who was drunk and vomiting to Verdugo Hills Hospital, he said.

Officers spotted the girl’s two friends trying to hold her up in an alley on Honolulu Avenue and Wickham Way, Smith said.

The girl’s head came close to hitting the curb, so, for her safety, police called paramedics, he added.

The girl’s mother wasn’t with her during the incident, but since she had consumed a few drinks, Smith said officers didn’t feel comfortable allowing her to drive her daughter home or to a hospital.