DUI Suspect Passes Out at Wheel on Freeway

The suspect's car was still running but stopped in the middle of the freeway with the driver unresponsive behind the wheel

A suspected drunk driver passed out behind the wheel of her car in the middle of a San Diego freeway Friday morning prompting an officer to smash in her window to stop the car from moving into traffic.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. on northbound Interstate 805 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

California Highway Patrol officials said the driver, identified as Amber McKinney Morgan, 25, had stopped her black Chrysler Sebring in the middle of one of the freeway lanes and left the engine running.

When CHP officers arrived on scene, McKinney Morgan was unresponsive.

CHP Officer Albert Udan said he and his partner approached McKinney Morgan, but didn’t have much luck communicating with her. The doors were locked and her windows were rolled up, officials said.
“The driver appeared unconscious,” Udan explained.

After several attempts to wake her up, Udan said the suspect’s car began rolling forward.
In an effort to stop the vehicle from rolling into traffic, Udan’s partner smashed the passenger’s side window.

“As a last resort, the officer had to break the glass in order to open the car and eventually gain control of the vehicle to get it to stop,” Udan explained, adding that, at that point, the car was an “extreme danger” to traffic.

McKinney Morgan eventually came to and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, Udan said.

Footage of the incident showed a large bottle of liquor and a soda bottle on the floor of the passenger’s side of the suspect’s car.

McKinney Morgan was booked into Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility on a DUI charge.

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