Alleged DUI driver who crashed into Coachella business, fled scene arrested

A La Quinta man was arrested early Friday morning for allegedly drunkenly crashing his car into a Coachella business then fleeing the scene.

At 3:28 a.m, Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies assigned to Coachella responded to an alarm call at a business on the 49700 block of Cesar Chavez Boulevard. According to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department news release, they discovered 24-year-old Martin Gastelum had driven his BMW 535i through part of the storefront of the business, breaking the establishment’s glass door and large window.

Gastelum attempted to flee the scene in his car but crashed it into a parked car in the parking lot in the process.

Deputies stopped and detained Gastelum, who “displayed objective symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol,” according to the release. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and was booked into Indio jail. He is free on $3,500 bail.

The investigation is ongoing; anyone with information is urged to contact Deputy Ruiz at the Thermal Station by calling 760-863-8990 or Crimestoppers at 760-342-STOP.