Burien Police arrested a driver on suspicion of DUI this week after deputies found him unconscious in a running vehicle stopped in the middle of a downtown Burien roadway, according to the Burien Police Department.
Police said they received multiple calls about a running vehicle that had been sitting in the roadway on SW 152nd Street for an extended period. When deputies arrived, they found an unconscious man in the driver’s seat, with the engine still running and beer bottles visible inside.
According to police, deputies positioned patrol vehicles around the stopped vehicle before waking the driver to prevent it from suddenly moving if he woke up and tried to drive away.
Police said deputies conducted field sobriety tests and determined the driver was impaired. During the administrative process, the driver provided a breath sample of 0.182, more than twice the legal limit, according to the department.
The vehicle was impounded, and the man was transported and booked into jail, police said. The department said the same driver had been arrested for DUI 10 days earlier.
Burien Police said deputies regularly respond to similar calls and that such incidents can become dangerous quickly for motorists, pedestrians and deputies.
“If you’ve been drinking, don’t get behind the wheel,” police said in a statement. “And if you see a vehicle stopped in an unusual or dangerous location, especially with someone who appears unconscious inside, call 911. You may be reporting a situation before it turns into a crash or something much worse.”
Police added that the department receives calls like these daily.
“Our deputies will continue responding, intervening, and keeping impaired drivers off the road before they have the opportunity to hurt someone,” police said.
