A suspected drunk driver hit a police patrol cruiser at about 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 in northwest Fresno in the area of M and Fresno streets.
Ray Johnson, 47, hit the patrol car with two officers as it made a left turn onto Fresno Street. The officers had just dropped off an inmate — the accident happened right in front of the Fresno County Jail.
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No one was injured.
Johnson had an outstanding DUI warrant and was allegedly driving on a suspended license. He was booked into the Fresno County jail, according to news reports.
The accident happened on a night that Fresno police enacted extra manpower for Super Bowl day in order to curtail accidents such as this.
A California Office of Traffic Safety grant helped supply the money for the extra staffing.
Super Bowl Sunday sees an increase in traffic accidents, according to a study by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The study analyzed California Highway Patrol data. Injury and fatal accidents in California related to alcohol are 77 percent more likely to occur on Super Bowl Sunday. In Los Angeles the increased risk is 57 percent and in San Diego, drivers are 117 percent more likely to be involved in an alcohol-fueled crash on Super Bowl Sunday.
The study used data from the 5 p.m. Sunday through 4 a.m. Monday timeframe and compared it to other Sundays in January and February.
Statistics from the California Highway Patrol indicate that last year on Super Bowl Sunday three people died in alcohol-related accidents, 140 people were injured, and the CHP made 187 DUI arrests.