An alleged DUI driver was arrested early Monday after they struck a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent near the Border Patrol checkpoint in Temecula, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The incident was reported at about 2:30 a.m. after the agent was conducting routine checkpoints. Around that time, a northbound black Mini Cooper sped through the checkpoint just north of Rainbow Valley Boulevard and struck the agent at approximately 60 mph, CHP said.
The driver of the Mini, Jaime Alejandro Garcia, 30, kept driving until Border Patrol agents pulled him over about a mile away from checkpoint, according to CHP.
Garcia was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and his passenger, Karen Devora, 28, was arrested for allegedly delaying and obstructing officers at the scene, the CHP said.
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CHP said the Border Patrol agent suffered major injuries and was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment. The agent's identity or the specifics of his injuries were not reported.
All northbound lanes of I-15 were shut down for several hours as a result of the investigation. By 7 a.m., the freeway was reopened.
The investigation is ongoing.
