DUI Suspect injures Fresno officer at Checkpoint

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A suspected drunk driver is accused of injuring a Fresno Police officer and sending him to the hospital.

Officers were conducting their Labor Day DUI checkpoint Monday night at Palm and Alluvial in Northwest Fresno; and this is where they say, one driver made a lot of bad decisions.

Around 1:40 a.m. the Fresno Police Department was in the middle of its sobriety check along Palm and Alluvial -- a popular restaurant and nightclub location. Officers say that's when 36-year-old Richard Caldwell pulled up in a Toyota Tundra. One of the officers saw a cup containing what he thought was alcohol, and when he reached in to pick it up to examine it, they say Caldwell sped off, injuring the officer's arm.

Fresno P.D. officers chased him to the corner of West and Barstow where they say Caldwell pulled over and struggled with officers before finally being arrested.

Turns out, Caldwell is a parolee wanted for violating his parole, and officers say he also told them the Toyota Tundra he was driving may have been stolen.

He will be charged with DUI as well as hit-and-run on a police officer. There was a 30-year-old woman in the car with him, but she's not facing any charges.

The Fresno Police officer was taken to the hospital to be treated for his arm injuries and was released.

The overnight checkpoint resulted in 9 drivers arrested for driving under the influence. It was the last day in a major 18-day DUI enforcement push by the department.

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