Police arrested a recent Cal Poly graduate for allegedly attempting to run a bicycle officer down with his car on March 17, police said.
24-year-old Brian Lima, who graduated from Cal Poly in December, was taken into custody after allegedly evading two bicycle officers, said Lt. Keith Storton of the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD).
The officers noticed Lima spinning his tires at the intersection of Dana and Nipomo streets and approached him, Storton said. Lima then drove down Dana Street before driving back up toward one of the officers, almost hitting him, Storton said.
“He actually veered his vehicle toward one of the officers where the officer had to get out of the way,” Storton said.
The officers then put out an alert with the description of Lima’s vehicle, and he was later arrested.
Lima has been booked at San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, refusal to obey a peace officer, reckless driving and driving under the influence (DUI). His bail is set at $50,000.
Lima could face prison time if convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, Storton said.
“It’s a felony — It’s a serious felony,” Storton said. “It could be prison time.”
Lima’s arrest was a huge misunderstanding, though, said a member of Lima’s family who wished to remain anonymous. Lima was out celebrating several job offers and St. Patrick’s Day, but did not try to hit the officer, the source said.
“It was a complete misunderstanding and he wasn’t trying to hit the officer,” Lima’s family member said. “He swerved to avoid him.”
Lima’s family is now talking to a lawyer to help tell his side of the story, the source said.
“The news has already massacred him,” the source said.
Lima’s DUI was one of three on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day. Twenty people were arrested for being drunk in public, Storton said, which is about double an average weekend.
“We definitely have a fairly significant problem with drunk in publics, especially in our area,” Storton said.