Three accidents, one injuring a police officer, lead to DUI arrests in Cranston
CRANSTON, R.I. – Three people face charges of driving under the influence after car accidents this weekend – two of which involved Cranston police cruisers.
The police charged Alex Sanville, 24, of 43 Baptist St., Swansea, with driving under the influence and refusing a breath test after the car he was driving struck an unattended police cruiser around 1:14 a.m. on Saturday, in the parking lot of the Mardis Gras nightclub on Oaklawn Avenue, according to police.
About an hour later, officers arrested Marc Daniel, 41, of 976 Cranston St., Cranston, after receiving a report of a car stopped in the lane of travel at the intersection of Harris Avenue and Cranston Street that was believed to have been involved in an another accident in the Mardi Gras parking lot, according to police.
Officers found Daniel and his passenger sleeping inside the car with the engine running, police said. Daniel told police he had left the club but did not recall being involved in the accident in which it was alleged his car hit another.
Breath tests administered at police headquarters showed Daniel’s blood alcohol content at .235 and .230, respectively, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and operating on a suspended license.
At about 12:56 a.m., Sunday, a police officer administering field sobriety tests on Oaklawn Avenue at Garden Hills Drive was injured after a car struck his cruiser from behind, causing it to strike the officer in his hip and back, according to police. Police identified the driver of the car that hit the cruiser from behind as Steven Capobianco, 32, of 61 Manor Rd., Cranston.
The police officer – who police declined to identify – and Capobianco’s passenger were taken to Kent County Hospital, where they were treated and released. The cruiser was extensively damaged and had to be towed from the scene.
“He’s doing fine,” Lt. Stephen Brooks said of the injured officer.
Capobianco was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusal to submit to a breath test, police said.