A DUI suspect crashed into a utility pole in El Cajon early Tuesday, at one point knocking out power to nearly 1,700 customers in the area.
The collision happened at around 4:15 a.m. on the 1300 block of east Washington Avenue at Leland Place, El Cajon Police Department Lt. Walt Miller confirmed.
Miller said the man behind the wheel of an SUV slammed into a San Diego Gas & Electric utility pole, partially collapsing the pole. A woman was riding in the SUV with the driver and she suffered some injuries. She was taken to a local hospital.
Police said the driver wasn't hurt; investigators believe he was driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. He was arrested at the scene.
No one else was hurt or involved in the incident.
The suspected DUI crash shut down traffic in both directions on east Washington Avenue. SDG&E was called to the scene to assess the damage to the power pole and begin efforts to restore power to residents.
SDG&E confirmed 1,697 customers were without power in parts of El Cajon, Granite Hills, and Singing Hills immediately following the crash. The utility initially expected to restore power to all customers by 8:30 a.m.
By 6 a.m., power had been restored to about 700 customers in the impacted areas. SDG&E said it expected to restore power to the remaining 1,000 customers by 3 p.m. Tuesday.
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Miller said the power pole was being repaired throughout the morning, but the ongoing work would likely cause traffic delays on east Washington Avenue between south Second and Ballard streets for five to six hours.
