DUI checkpoint in Glendale yields arrests for drug, illegal gun possession

Eight motorists were arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol during a sobriety checkpoint in South Glendale, officials said.

Of the eight motorists arrested for DUI at the grant-funded checkpoint on Los Feliz Boulevard and Gardena Avenue, five were for drugs and three were for alcohol, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Rich Phillips.

Officers also arrested reputed gang member and parolee Ricardo Bojorquez, 23, of San Pedro who was allegedly hiding a loaded .38 handgun in his vehicle’s dashboard, according to Glendale police reports. The serial number on the gun was shaved off, police reported.

Officers also found more bullets and a prescription bottle containing cocaine hidden in the dashboard, police said.

Bojorquez’s passenger, Jonathan Ayala, 29, of San Pedro was also arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics and a handgun with serial numbers removed, police said.

Another six motorists were arrested for driver’s license violations while another four people were arrested for narcotics and felony violations, he said.

Twelve vehicles were also towed during the checkpoint.

DUI-related arrests are up this year due to what police say is stepped up enforcement. From January to June, Glendale police have arrested 611 motorists on suspicion of DUI compared 356 arrests for the same period last year.

--Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

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