Fire Captain Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Hit-And-Run

Off-Duty Fireman Hits Bicyclist While Drunk

A captain in the Long Beach fire department entered a not guilty plea earlier this month, after allegedly striking and severely injuring a bicyclist, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

The suspect is accused of driving while severely intoxicated as well as hit-and-run, and could face up to six years in prison if all of his charges stick. The 38-year old fire captain is a veteran of the fire department, having served for many years. He was officially suspended from duty with the department pending the criminal investigation in April, after the incident occurred.

On the 1^st of April, the captain is said to have been driving his pick-up truck while heavily intoxicated. Investigators discovered that he had been drinking that morning at a Long Beach bar called the Schooner or Later. He lost control of the vehicle, the police report alleges, and swerved into a Seal Beach bike lane, colliding with a man on a bicycle. The 48-year old cyclist was thrown to the shoulder of the roadway and critically injured. He was taken to the hospital and treated for head trauma, spinal and vertebral wounds, as well as internal injuries. He was in the hospital for two weeks before being released.

Police Find Suspect At Home With Bloodied Vehicle

According to police, the captain fled from the scene of the accident, and was found at his Huntington Beach after officers received a tip from an eyewitness. Investigators discovered blood splattered on the car, and took a blood alcohol content sample. Even two hours after the accident, his BAC was .24 percent, three times the legal limit.

“Here we have a firefighter, a captain no less,” the Deputy District Attorney said to reporters, “someone with, no doubt, EMT training and whose job it is to protect the community and render aid to those in need. I think he's held to a higher standard.”

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