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Parts of downtown SLO lose power after DUI driver hits power pole

A power pole was sheared in half after it was hit by a car late Sunday night in SLO
Courtesy: San Luis Obispo Police Dept.
A power pole was sheared in half after it was hit by a car late Sunday night in SLO

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Parts of downtown San Luis Obispo were without power Sunday night after a suspected DUI driver hit a power pole and several parked cars.

San Luis Obispo police responded to the 300 block of Foothill Boulevard around 11:25 p.m. for a report of a crash with injuries.

Police arrived on scene and found several parked cars that were damaged and a Pacific Gas & Electric power pole that was sheared in half.

The driver, identified by police as a 24-year-old San Luis Obispo man, attempted to flee the scene but was stopped by nearby residents.

Witnesses told police that the man was driving at a high rate of speed west on Foothill. He passed a car that was stopped at a red light, clipped the front end of another car and then collided with the power pole and several more parked cars. The man's car finally came to a stop in the front yard of a residence.

The driver of this vehicle was arrested on suspicion of DUI. His passenger suffered minor injuries.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and a warrant for violating his probation for a previous DUI. The man's passenger was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The sheared power pole caused power and communication outages to several neighborhoods, including parts of downtown SLO.

PG&E sent a crew to repair the damaged power pole. As of 10:30 a.m., about 100 customers in the area are still without power, according to PG&E's online outage map.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the SLO Police Department at 805-781-7313.

Article Topic Follows: San Luis Obispo County

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