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# Police bust drunks behind the wheel
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/police-bust-drunks-behind-the-wheel/
- Published: 2006-05-17T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:55:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

WILSHIRE BLVD — The Santa Monica Police Department nabbed three drunk drivers and impounded four vehicles last Saturday in an effort to reduce the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes.

At a sobriety checkpoint in the 2800 block of Wilshire Boulevard, officers randomly searched 228 vehicles out of a total of 1,140 that passed through the area from 9:45 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega. Three drivers were found to be under the influence of alcohol and were arrested. Citations were issued to four other drivers: one for driving without a license, another for driving without a license in possession, and another for possession of marijuana. The reason for the fourth citation was unknown at press time.

The checkpoint was paid for through a grant from California’s Office of Traffic Safety as part of the national campaign “You Drink and Drive. You Lose.”

In a statement, SMPD Chief James T. Butts Jr. reminded people, “Don’t risk it. If you plan to drink, don’t drive.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 17, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/051706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)