Crime & Safety
Intoxicated Driver Arrested After Dramatic Flood Rescue In Riverside County
When responders learned a driver was still inside the vehicle, firefighters conducted a swift-water rescue to pull the man to safety.
PALM SPRINGS, CA — When the police and sheriffs tell you to turn around, don't drown, they mean it. A Los Angeles man was rescued after his vehicle became submerged in a flooded Palm Springs roadway Thursday—that same man was in custody Friday on suspicion of public intoxication and other charges.
Diego Daniel Garcia, 35, was arrested Thursday and booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of public intoxication, resisting an officer and battery on a firefighter, according to Palm Springs police Lt. Gustavo Araiza.
Bail information was not immediately available.
Find out what's happening in Palm Desertfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Officers were called about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to Indian Canyon Drive after a vehicle was reported submerged in floodwaters, police said. When responders learned a driver was still inside the vehicle, firefighters conducted a swift-water rescue to pull the man to safety.
Araiza said Garcia appeared to be under the influence of drugs following the rescue.
Find out what's happening in Palm Desertfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
