Chain of events on Mesa's US 60 ends in 2 arrested on suspicion of DUI

MESA, Ariz. - A car involved in a Mesa crash early Sunday morning flipped onto US 60, the police department said, causing a series of events that led to two arrests.

The first crash happened near US 60 and Country Club Drive around 2 a.m. on March 24.

"Officers arrived and verified that there was a vehicle that had gone off the roadway at Country Club and down the side of the on ramp to the freeway. The vehicle, a Jeep, had landed onto the westbound US 60 and was on its roof," police said.

The driver of the Jeep was pulled out of the car by officers and had minor injuries. There weren't any passengers.

"The investigation revealed that there were two vehicles traveling southbound on Country Club, the Jeep and another passenger car. The Jeep rear ended the vehicle, veered to the right, and onto the freeway," police said.

2 arrested on suspicion of DUI after US 60 crashes

The Jeep driver reportedly showed signs of being impaired and was arrested.

During this investigation, police say another driver who wasn't involved in this incident rear-ended one of the officer's cars while blocking traffic on US 60. The officer is OK.

That driver was also arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Police say the driver who overturned their car is accused of extreme DUI, meaning the BAC level was above .15.

No names have been released.

"One simple mistake, like what happened last night, that could have ended not only in our suspect driver being killed, but they could have killed somebody else," said Mesa Police Det. Richard Encinas.

He talks about one of the many dangers of driving impaired.

Chain of events on Mesa's US 60 ends in 2 arrested

"When you’re an impaired driver, and you can’t see lights flashing, you can’t see cones, you can't see flares and you're in a state where you drive into the back of a vehicle, in this place a patrol car, it comes back to personal responsibility," Det. Encinas said.

Arizona is a zero-tolerance state. Getting behind the wheel even after a few drinks can land you behind bars.

"You might not think you are impaired, and you are," Det. Encinas said. "Not only could you cause an accident but this person could have very easily died."