Two arrested at Costa Mesa DUI checkpoint

Costa Mesa police arrested two people for driving under the influence Friday at a sobriety checkpoint on the Eastside.

From 7 to 11 p.m., officers set up a checkpoint at Santa Ana Avenue and 18th Street and screened 145 of the 436 cars that passed through. Officers investigated five drivers and arrested two of them for being under the influence. Two others had their vehicles towed and were issued misdemeanor citations for driving unlicensed or with a suspended license, and another was arrested for delaying or obstructing an officer.

The next sobriety checkpoint is scheduled for March 18 at Placentia Avenue and 20th Street. Lt. Bob Ciszek said the checkpoints helped to make the streets safer even if they netted only a few drivers.

“Any time you take one off the street, that makes a difference,” he said. “To somebody who could be seriously injured, it makes a difference.”

— Michael Miller