Suspected drunken driver rams funeral-bound hearse

[January 13, 2009]  COVINA, Calif. (AP) -- Police said a man has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after he crashed head-on into a hearse taking a body to a funeral with a sheriff's deputy watching.

Covina police Sgt. Ray Marquez said the Los Angeles County deputy pulled up behind a car Saturday and said the driver appeared unconscious as he sat idling at a green light.

The deputy tapped on the driver's window, and the car immediately surged through the intersection into oncoming traffic and hit the hearse.

Marquez says no one was injured. He said an 18-year-old was arrested, cited, and released later Saturday.

Marquez said a replacement hearse arrived to take the body to its destination, a funeral at a nearby church.

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Information from: San Gabriel Valley Tribune

[Associated Press]

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