POWAY: Driver drags deputy, gets arrested

By DAN SIMMONS - Staff Writer | Wednesday, September 3, 2008 7:11 PM PDT ∞

POWAY ---- An allegedly drunken driver was arrested Tuesday night after he struck a sheriff's deputy and dragged him before crashing his truck, sheriff's officials said.

The incident began at 10:32 p.m. when Deputy Robert Gibson stopped a man driving a white Dodge truck erratically in the 12500 block of Poway Road, according to Sgt. Dave Sutherland. The suspect, 44-year-old Ricki Gandara, got out of the truck and walked toward Gibson before following the deputy's order to return to his seat in the truck, Sutherland said.

Gibson saw beer containers in the bed of the truck and smelled alcohol on Gandara's breath, Sutherland said. Once back at the truck, Gibson asked him for identification, which he provided, and asked that he shut off the engine and hand him the keys.

Gandara instead put the car in drive and accelerated west on Poway Road, Sutherland said. Gibson, who was standing next to the open driver's-side door when the driver began accelerating, got caught in the door jamb and dragged because his holster was caught by part of the door, he said.

Gibson was dragged about 100 feet before being thrown from the truck after it hit a center median, Sutherland said. He landed in some bushes and was bounced into a tree, the sergeant said. He radioed for help, giving the vehicle description and location.

The truck crossed the center median, crashed into a utility box then crossed back over the median and continued west on Poway Road, Sutherland said.

Law enforcement officials from throughout the county responded and arrived shortly after, Sutherland said. The suspect's truck was found in a parking lot in the 12000 block of Oak Knoll Road, he said. A few minutes later, deputies spotted then stopped Gandara as he ran through an apartment complex at 12455 Oak Knoll Road, he said.

Officers confirmed Gandara had been the driver of the truck that dragged Gibson, as he had given the deputy his identification before dragging him, and arrested him, Sutherland said. He was booked into Central Jail in San Diego and is being held on $336,240 bail, sheriff's spokesman Mike Miller said.

Deputy Gibson suffered minor cuts and scrapes in the accident, Miller said, and was treated and released at a hospital. No more specific information has been made available.

Contact staff writer Dan Simmons at (760) 740-5426 or dsimmons@nctimes.com.

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Thanks wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:20 PM:Thanks to God that the Deputy was okay and did not get maimed or killed. Drunk drivers are dispicable(sp)

Umm.. wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:24 PM:"I fought the law.. and the .. law won"

Dude, what were you thinking!?! you gave the deputy your ID.

D'oh!

I am VERY glad to hear wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:50 PM:the cops is alright. Isn't there a TV show on now for America's stupidest criminals....I think this bozo would qualify. Thank God no one was killed.

Hookup wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:53 PM:Glad people like this gets caught but not at the price of an officers safety.

Jimmie wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:22 PM:That's the trouble. People who are drunk are beyond thinking.

Beth wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:19 AM:Exactly Jimmie

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