Police: Atwater woman was drunk when she left crash scene and hid behind liquor store

A 59-year-old Atwater woman was arrested early Wednesday after she crashed into a car while driving drunk then drove away and tried to hide behind a liquor store, according to the Atwater Police Department.

Tammy Best was booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of hit-and-run and drunken driving, Chief Samuel Joseph said.

Best was driving a 1991 Nissan NX just after midnight when she “side swiped” a Dodge sedan driven by a man described by officers as “a private investigator.” The man’s name was not released. He was not injured, officers said.

Police said the collision happened in the area of Winton Way and Elm Street and the driver who caused the crash, later identified by police as Best, sped away from the scene without stopping. The other driver, who apparently has experience following cars, pursued the driver, tracking her to the area of Maple Street and Olive Avenue, according to investigators.

“Best exited her vehicle and walked away failing to provide her information to the person she hit and tried to walk behind a liquor store on Atwater Boulevard,” Joseph said. “Best was advised that police were on the way.”

Officers found Best behind Maxi Mart Food & Liquor and said she showed “obvious signs of being under the influence of alcohol.”

“It was also discovered she was driving unlicensed,” Joseph said.

Her blood-alcohol level was measured at about .13, “well above” the legal limit of .08, police said.

A booking mugshot of Best was not immediately available Wednesday.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Police: Atwater woman was drunk when she left crash scene and hid behind liquor store."