DUI Checkpoint Nets Two Arrests and a Slew of Citations

The LA County Sheriff’s Department DUI checkpoint held last Friday, Sept. 11, at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Webb Way in central Malibu from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. resulted in two arrests, 14 citations to drivers operating vehicles without licenses or with suspended or revoked licenses, and two citations to drivers in possession of open containers of alcohol and/or marijuana, according to a statement from Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. 

Out of the 14 cars driven by people cited for driving without proper licenses, two were towed while the other 12 were released to other licensed drivers. 

According to KBUU News, Friday’s checkpoint was the first one in Malibu since the COVID-19 stay-at-home order was first enacted in March 2020. 

“As businesses continue to open, including bars and restaurants, impaired driving remains a top traffic safety concern,” the sheriff’s department statement said. The checkpoint also came during a time when the prevalence of nighttime racing up and down PCH has become a central issue in Malibu because of the noise and danger it creates. 

The statement said officers will continue to hold checkpoints throughout the year, though it did not say where. However, checkpoint locations are based on a history of crashes and DUI arrests, the sheriff’s department stated. 

“In past years, deputies have said that [the PCH and Webb Way intersection] is the safest and preferred location for a checkpoint given the width of the road and adjacent parking lots for parking,” according to KBUU.

“The primary purpose of checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by deterring drivers from driving impaired,” the sheriff’s department’s statement said. The checkpoint was announced in advance. 

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the statement.