7 DUI Arrests, 144 Tickets In SWR During CHP Crackdown

TEMECULA, CA — California Highway Patrol officers arrested seven people in the Southwest Riverside County area on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during a Labor Day weekend crackdown, the agency tells Patch.

The DUI arrests were netted between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:30 p.m. Monday, as part of the statewide maximum enforcement period, according to the CHP Temecula Area.

What's more, local officers issued a total of 144 traffic tickets and responded to 13 non-injury crashes, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig. There were four injury crashes, but none were fatal.

In addition to the DUI-related arrests, another four people were arrested for other offenses, Lassig said.

The office handles traffic enforcement on freeways, highways and unincorporated roads in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and surrounding locations.

There were no DUI fatalities in the same region over the holiday weekend.

The long weekend deployment was part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" and "Drive High Get a DUI" campaigns.

"The California Highway Patrol would like to remind all motorist to always buckle-up, designate a sober driver and don’t drive distracted," Lassig said.

The CHP's next maximum enforcement period is scheduled around Halloween.

— City News Service contributed to this report