A Los Angeles police captain has been removed as commander of the department's Rampart station as he faces drunken driving charges, officials said.
Capt. Steve Ruiz, a 25-year LAPD veteran, is no longer running the station and has been given a non-field assignment pending the outcome of the case against him, said LAPD Officer Susan Torres, a department spokeswoman.
Ruiz was cited for a misdemeanor DUI at a Ventura Freeway offramp at Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks on May 30 at 1:20 a.m., said CHP Sgt. Denise Joslin, a department spokeswoman.
Ruiz did not return an email seeking comment.
CHP officers, who were on a call for an unrelated traffic crash, turned their attention to Ruiz when motorists behind his vehicle started honking to get him to go when a traffic light turned green, Joslin said.
Officers said he “displayed signs of possible alcohol intoxication” when they went to check on him, Joslin said, without elaborating.
Joslin would not release the results of field sobriety or breathalyzer tests, citing the ongoing investigation.
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Ruiz, who was off duty at the time, was not taken to jail. His vehicle was impounded and he was released to a friend or family member, Joslin said.
He was cited under a less-serious misdemeanor offense because he had not been involved in a crash nor was anyone hurt, Joslin said.
The status of the case was not immediately available, but Joslin said it could take up to a month before officers complete their investigation.
Ruiz was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, his LAPD biography said.
He became a LAPD officer in 1987 at the age of 21.
He worked various assignments over the years and was eventually promoted to captain overseeing the Rampart Division in February 2009.
Ruiz is married and has a daughter and a son, his bio said.
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