Suspected drunk driver arrested after fleeing APD sobriety checkpoint

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It was a close call for officers in downtown Albuquerque Saturday night as they worked a sobriety checkpoint at Lomas and Broadway.

21-year-old Noah Mirabal is facing felony charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and fleeing an officer.

According to a criminal complaint, a police officer noticed Mirabal’s car was not slowing down as it approached the checkpoint and a police service aide who was adjusting a cone.

In the complaint, the officer wrote:

"The PSA jumped out of the way and the vehicle came toward me at a high speed. The driver continued and I had to get out of the way as I believed he was going to hit me to escape the checkpoint."

The complaint accuses Mirabal of blowing through two stop signs on Lomas before losing control and ending up in the oncoming lanes of traffic. Police say Mirabal ran off but was arrested about two blocks away.

Three suspected drunk drivers were also arrested at the same checkpoint – along with two others accused of driving drunk in the downtown area.

According to jail records, 25 people were booked on DWI charges since Friday in Albuquerque.