Man arrested for dumping diesel fuel down gutter

A Banning man was arrested Thursday night after officers saw him siphoning diesel fuel from a 1978 dump truck.

Brad Ward, 56, was reportedly dumping the fuel onto the ground and down the gutter with his garden hose. The incident happened around 5:35 p.m. in the 700 block of 10th Street.

Neighbors called police to report a strong odor of fuel in the area.

After investigating, police discovered Ward had been draining the fuel tank and used his garden hose to wash the fuel down the gutter. They said the fuel spilled down George Street moving east to the 800 block of West George Street.

Cal Fire responded to shovel dirt on the spilled diesel fuel. Haz Mat teams from Cal Fire and Riverside County Environmental Services assessed the damage.

Authorities said the City of Banning Public Works Department and a private Hazardous Waste Transport company showed up afterwards to complete a thorough cleanup of the fuel.

The Banning Police Department towed the dump truck.

Ward was arrested on felony charges for dumping a hazardous substance into the roadway, according to police. He was booked into the Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.