Man’s flat tire leads to fireworks
An alleged drunk driver put on a fireworks show Sunday evening after driving from Dibrell on a flat tire, shooting sparks for several miles before being stopped.
“It looked like a Chinese bottlerocket coming over the hill,” said McMinnville Police Lt. Robert Patterson who was waiting on the vehicle near Rolling Hills just before 9 p.m. Sunday.
The suspicious vehicle had been reported to 911 by a motorist who got in behind the suspect near Dibrell and relayed their progress toward town. The vehicle, despite having a fully flat driver’s side front tire, was traveling about 65 mph, grinding into the metal wheel sending sparks trailing.
Patterson fell in behind the vehicle as it entered Moose Lodge Hill heading into the northern city limit. The vehicle failed to yield to blue lights, prompting police to partially block New Smithville Highway near Gateway Tire. The vehicle then stopped.
“I was about to throw down the spike strips,” said Sgt. Todd Bess, noting the suspect had only three remaining tires to puncture.
The driver, Ruben Carillo, 19, was arrested for drunk driving, reckless endangerment and failure to yield. He reportedly registered a .24 during a breath-a-lizer test which is more than two times the state’s legal limit of intoxication. His passenger, a 17-year-old juvenile, was cited for public intoxication after admitting to drinking about 12 beers.
Police noted the rim on which Carillo was riding was ground nearly half way up to such a point the sheet metal around the car was also being ground away. The fire department was called to the scene as police feared the heat from the ground wheel could have caused the car to burst into flames. It is not know why the suspect was driving on the flat tire, aside from his alleged intoxication.