Police: Drunken driver slams into Merced apartment building, causing $30,000 in damage

A 29-year-old Merced man was arrested Tuesday after causing about $30,000 in damage when he crashed his vehicle into an apartment complex and left the scene while allegedly driving drunk, the Merced Police Department reported.

Salvador Ceja-Garcia was booked into the Merced County jail on suspicion of hit-and-run, drunken driving, reckless driving and a parole violation, Sgt. Jay Struble said.

Details of his prior criminal conviction were not available Tuesday.

Ceja-Garcia was driving a 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck about 12:30 p.m. when he crashed into the apartment complex in the 500 block of West 11th Street, police said.

Ceja-Garcia later told police his foot slipped off the brake while he was trying to park, but investigators said skid marks, tire tracks and other physical evidence do not support that story.

“Fortunately, the only thing on the other side of the wall he crashed into were four or five hot water heaters and a dryer,” Struble said.

Police said the impact moved the wall in about two feet, but no electrical or gas damage was done.

Ceja-Garcia left the crash scene but was spotted a short time later by a Merced police officer. Police estimated Ceja-Garcia was driving about 100 mph in the area of Highway 59 and Gerard Street, prior to the crash.

Officers said preliminary tests put his blood-alcohol level at about 0.08.

Ceja-Garcia told officers he’d been upset earlier in the day after attending a family member’s funeral, police said.

This story was originally published December 30, 2014 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Police: Drunken driver slams into Merced apartment building, causing $30,000 in damage."